|
Community
Council Meeting of 11 January 2002
Members heard
that Fife Council had turned down the request
for extensions to the 30 mph limits on Kinghorn
Road and Cowdenbeath Road. The police had not
supported the request, and additionally it was
felt that the new 'turn right' lane on Kinghorn
Road would have a secondary traffic calming effect.
Good news on the bus shelter front, though, for
Fife Council will be going ahead with a new one
outside Present Time in the High Street within
the next six weeks or so. This success prompted
the Community Council to decide to ask for a
further shelter, on the Binn estate side of Cowdenbeath
Road. Secretary Margaret Macdonald and member
George Kay reported on their inspection of the
rear of the Palace cinema. In the light of their
report, the Community Council will again approach
Fife Council to seek advice on the powers available
which might allow action to be taken on this
building. The Community Council will again be
a sponsor of the local Flower Show at a cost
of £30. East of Scotland Water came in
for praise for the manner in which they have
kept everyone informed about the next phase of
the Burntisland sewage project. This will involve
replacing existing short outfalls serving some
600 persons. Work at Seaforth Place begins on
14 January; at Lochies Road in the week commencing
21 January; and at the Lammerlaws shortly thereafter.
The main inconvenience will be at Lochies Road,
where the work will last for about eight weeks.
Donald Grant, the Fife Council Locality Manager,
who was present at the meeting, will take action
on the Community Council's request for a proper
survey of the public seats on the Links, the
beach, the picnic area and the town centre; and
he will also follow up the question of outstanding
repairs to the slipway at the Beacon Centre.
The Secretary informed the meeting that she had
been assured that Fife Council would be attending
to the broken groynes on the beach in the near
future. The Community Council are seeking clarification
from Fife Council on the misleading notices relating
to dogs on the beach. John Bruce, winner of the
Burntisland Community Award for 2002 had written
to the Community Council to thank them for the
honour, and to confirm his pleasure in accepting.
The award will be presented immediately before
the next Community Council meeting.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 8 February 2002
The
meeting was preceded by the presentation of the
Burntisland Community Award for 2002 to Mr John
Bruce. Community Council Chairman Alex McDonald
traced the history of the award, stretching back
for over 20 years.  Each year the Community Council
had a very difficult decision to take when they
had to select a winner from a number of very
worthy nominees. One of their criteria was that
the winner should be someone who set a fine example
to others, and it was a quality which John Bruce
had demonstrated in abundance over a period of
more than 30 years as a Special Constable.
It was often not realised that Special Constables
were unpaid volunteers, albeit highly trained.
Alex McDonald then presented John Bruce (who
is on the right of the picture) with the Community
Award shield and with a beautiful personal scroll
recording the granting of the award. In accepting
the award, John said that he felt very honoured
and grateful, not just for himself, but for all
Special Constables. He spoke of the support which
he had received from his family, and from everyone
in Fife Constabulary - and revealed that he had
just accepted his first engagement, to open this
year's Burntisland Flower Show! John was accompanied
at the presentation by his wife Janice, son Kevin,
daughter Amanda, and their families. Also present
were representatives of Fife Constabulary, including
Chief Superintendent Ken Bellingham.
After
the presentation of the Community Award, it was
down to business with the announcement of Fife
Council's confirmation that there would be no
charges at the Links car park this summer. Members
were then given a report of a recent meeting
about the marketing of the summer fairground
this year. Ms Angela Harris of the Beacon
Leisure Centre will take a leading role, and
the aim will be to market Burntisland as an attractive
venue for a "full day out" - incorporating not
only the fairground, but also the Beacon Centre
and other attractions, as well as places to eat.
At the same meeting, the showmen's representatives
had accepted that, if their extra week this year
was confirmed, they would be content for that
arrangement to apply for a minimum of three years.
Members then considered a draft Burntisland Community
Council Environmental Policy which had been prepared
by Ian Quinney; this was unanimously adopted.
Fife Council had provided a report of their inspection
of the shell of the Palace Cinema in the High
Street. They would be writing to the owner to
ask him to secure the property so that children
and others could no longer gain access. They
also confirmed that they had examined two dead
rats in the garden of a neighbouring property,
but that they had been unable to discover any
evidence of infestation within the cinema property
itself. Fife Council will take action on the
Community Council's request for a bus shelter
at Meadowfield, and will in the first instance
carry out a survey. If the survey indicates the
need for a shelter, one will be provided as and
when funds become available. Fife Council had
clarified the position with regard to animals
on the beach in the summer season - dogs (and
indeed horses) were banned from the sands altogether;
dogs were permitted on the promenade, but had
to be under control. The Community Council considered
a request from the Erskine Church for assistance
from the Common Good Fund for urgent repairs,
totalling some £8,000, which were required
to the church fabric. After due discussion, members
concluded that the Common Good Fund was not an
appropriate source for funding such repairs,
and that there were other sources to which application
could be made. East of Scotland Water had reported
that the work at Lochies Road should be completed
by 18 March. The first planning applications
to be discussed covered the demolition of the
Porte Cinema and neighbouring buildings, and
the erection in Thistle Street of seven terraced
houses. These houses were described as being
based on a proven design, previously used in
another Fife conservation area. There was general
support for these applications, both in the Community
Council and among the members of the general
public who were present. The developer, Mr Bob
Wilkie, who was also present at the meeting,
promised extensive consultation on the next phase
of the development. This is likely to be as visually
prominent as the Porte Cinema currently is, and
is at present described as an apartment block
comprising four stories, each with two flats,
plus a penthouse. The Community Council had more
difficulty with the next planning application,
which was for the erection of three houses on
a site at Landale Place. Although privately owned,
this site was until recently treated by local
families and by Fife Council as public open space.
There was a significant presence on the public
benches to lobby for the area to continue to
be public open space. After all the arguments
had been heard, the Community Council decided
by five votes to three to oppose the planning
application.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 8 March 2002
 Prior to the meeting, the Chairman
of Burntisland Community Council, Alex MacDonald,
presented the annual Scots Verse Competition
awards to pupils from Burntisland School. After
tracing the history of the awards, which were
inaugurated in 1986 to mark the 700th anniversary
of the death of King Alexander III and to provide
encouragement to young people in the town, he
invited the four winners to recite their winning
entries. He then handed over a trophy and dictionary
to each winner. This was the first year in which
the Gilbertson Trophy, donated by the Gilbertson
family in memory of their parents, had been presented.
The winners are pictured with their trophies
- from left to right, Molly Frawley (Primary 3),
Katie Stevenson (Primary 4, with the Gilbertson
Trophy), Carla Birch (Primary 5) and Scott
Taylor (Primary 6).
The meeting proper began
with an announcement that, despite earlier reports
to the contrary, the fight for the extension
of the 30 mph limit to Linwell Court was back
on the agenda, with a police commitment to carry
out a site inspection after the 'turn right'
lane into Linwell Court has been completed. There
was further discussion about the derelict Palace
Cinema in the High Street, and the Community
Council decided to press Fife Council to serve
a Wasteland Order on the owner, with the aim
of securing environmental improvements to the
site. Officebearers of the Community Council
had visited Alcan Chemicals earlier in the week,
to take part in a consultation exercise on measures
to alleviate a further build up of water at the
Whinneyhall tip. Urgent action was required,
and the Community Council had been asked to consider
two options: (1) removal of the water by the
use of two dedicated road tankers, or (2) a
repeat of last year's scheme, involving the laying
of a pipe in the course of the Kirkton Burn.
The Community Council had favoured the latter
option, and it is likely that this will be implemented
as soon as the necessary consents have been obtained.
The Community Council had been assured that the
work would be completed by mid May, and that
tests were continuing in an attempt to find a
permanent solution to the problem. East of Scotland
Water had reported that the sewage works at Lochies
Road should be completed by 18 March. The Community
Council had objected to a planning application
for houses on a plot at Landale Place and had
recommended that the ground be taken into public
ownership. The meeting was told that Fife Council
had now rejected the application. Following representations
on the question of heavy goods traffic within
the town, the Community Council will ask Fife
Council for a report on the current status of
the relief road project. A questionnaire from
the Fife Fire & Rescue Service was considered,
and the Community Council concluded that they
were very pleased with the standard of service
provided in Burntisland. Secretary Margaret Macdonald
reported that investigations were being carried
out to determine the reason for the recent flooding
in Haugh Road. She also reported that Fife Council
had decided to grant a one week extension to
the summer fairground - this arrangement would
last for three years, after which there would
be a further review. Concerns were expressed
from the public benches about the fact that the
wheelie bins in Ferguson Place had again remained
unemptied, because the refuse wagon could not
negotiate the turn from James Park because of
parked cars. The local police had promised action
on this question at the Community Council meeting
in November, and they are to be approached again.
In an attempt to get the new bus shelter in the
High Street to perform its function, the Community
Council will ask for the seat to be removed to
provide more space inside the shelter. Members
considered a new planning application for a pigeon
loft in Ferguson Place and opted to oppose it.
They also decided to ask Fife Council to consider
the provision of a permanent footbath between
Meadow Court and Glebe Place.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 12 April 2002
Concern for the environment
was a theme that dominated the meeting, which
began with a talk by a representative of the
Clean Coast Scotland campaign. One of the campaign's
aims is to provide clearly accessible and up-to-date
water quality information in resort towns like
Burntisland. After the talk, it was down to business.
Local environmentalists were well represented
on the public benches, and were given the opportunity
to express their strongly held views on the question
of commercial cockle harvesting - clearly the
topic of debate in the town for the preceding
ten days or so. The Community Council decided
that it was important to try to get measures
in place by September of this year, when it is
feared that large scale harvesting could well
be repeated. They will pursue a two-pronged approach
- Fife Council will be asked to introduce a by-law
to give effect to the widespread desire in the
town that, at the very least, the scale of harvesting
should be severely curtailed; and the local MSP
and the Scottish Executive will be asked to consider
the introduction of measures which would protect
the entire Scottish coast. Community Council
members also demonstrated considerable enthusiasm
for another environmental initiative, namely
the control of litter, which followed a correspondence
campaign by Mrs Doreen Knight. Member George
Kay volunteered to co-ordinate a survey of the
town which would list all litter and dumping
blackspots which needed attention. The town will
be divided into six sectors, each of which will
be surveyed by a volunteer recruited at the meeting.
The results of the survey will be presented to
the next Community Council meeting on 10 May,
and it will then be decided what action to take.
Fife Council will be expected to bear the responsibility
for much of the remedial work, but it is expected
that local voluntary effort will be needed as
well. The Community Council had received a request
from Fife Council for payment of £900,
calculated as the cost of removing some of the
Christmas lights in the High Street during the
January storms. Members considered this an unfair
imposition, and Fife Council will be so informed.
Neither were members happy with the fact that
Fife Council had approved a grant of £3,500
from Burntisland Common Good Fund to the Erskine
Church for building repairs, thereby ignoring
the Community Council's recommendation that the
application should be refused on the grounds
that it was not an appropriate use of Common
Good money. While they fully supported the church's
efforts to maintain their building, they considered
that funding from other sources should be sought.
Fife Council will therefore be asked to note
the Community Council's concern and to reimburse
the Common Good Fund. The question of the present
whereabouts of certain of Burntisland's historical
artefacts engendered considerable discussion
and unease. Community Council members and those
on the public benches will therefore prepare
lists of such items known to them for the next
Community Council meeting, when the possibility
of an approach to Kirkcaldy Museum will be considered.
The Community Council's request for an extra
mail collection point in the Cotburn Crescent
area had been turned down. Their request for
a bus shelter on Cowdenbeath Road had also been
rejected, following a survey of the number of
passengers using the bus stop; and Fife Council
had refused to remove the seat from the new bus
shelter in the High Street (a measure which would
have allowed passengers better protection from
the elements). Local developer Bob Wilkie informed
the meeting that, following objections submitted,
the planning application for the first phase
of the proposed Rose Street/Thistle Street redevelopment
had been withdrawn. The project was, however,
still on the agenda, and he would be considering
how best to take it forward. |
|
Community
Council Meeting of 10 May 2002
The first part
of the meeting was devoted to the question of
litter in the town. A representative of Fife
Council was present, but, as he could speak for
only one of a wide range of Fife Council departments
who were concerned with litter, his comments
did not have any great significance. Community
Council member George Kay circulated an illustrated
summary of the litter survey which he had co-ordinated,
and the Fife Council representative agreed to
follow this up. It was made clear to him that
the Community Council wanted an undertaking that
there would be significant improvements. In particular,
it was quite obvious that the number, size and
design of the present litter bins was woefully
inadequate. The Community Council will also pursue
the litter education option, and will order posters
and leaflets for use by Burntisland School. The
Community Council had received a response from
Fife Council on the question of the burned out
shell of the Palace Cinema in the High Street.
It indicated that the Council officials were
not in favour of serving a Wasteland Notice (which
would require the owner to undertake environmental
improvements). The Community Council will therefore
write to the local Councillor (who was not present
at the meeting), to ask him to promote a Wasteland
Notice requiring the owner to repair and paint
the façade of the cinema and to cut back
the overgrown trees at the rear of the building.
It was reported that Fife Council considered
that the building of the town centre relief road
was "not presently financially feasible".
Vice Chairman David Plant revealed that, while
Fife Council was getting the credit for the rent-free
leasing of the former Tourist Information Office
to Burntisland Heritage Trust, it was in fact
Burntisland Common Good Fund (the owner of the
property) which was bearing the cost. The Community
Council considered a request from the Pipe Band
for financial assistance towards the provision
of new uniforms, and agreed to recommend a £500
grant from the Common Good Fund. Concern was
expressed from the public benches about the proliferation
of large iron manhole covers on the Links. These
form part of the new electricity supply system
being installed to serve the summer fairground.
The Community Council, as a matter of urgency,
will ask Fife Council for more information, in
particular on any possible impingement on the
Highland Games arena. The question of the proximity
of jet water skiers to the beach was raised,
and Fife Council will be asked to provide a notice
at the slipway, asking skiers to keep a safe
distance offshore. Member Avril Coventry informed
the meeting that she was canvassing opinion in
the town on the possibility of converting the
paddling pool to a skateboarding area, and she
will report her findings to the Community Coucil
in due course.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 14 June 2002
As often happens, environmental issues
dominated the meeting. First up was the Palace
Cinema building in the High Street, and the Community
Council were informed that Fife Council were
"taking advice" on the possible serving of a
Wasteland Notice on the owner. Members then considered
the continuing litter question. The Community
Council had written to Fife Council to say that
they considered that the town needed more than
the current two street sweepers, especially in
the tourist season; and to ask if the use of
people serving community service orders might
be considered. The condition of the Fife Coastal
Path at the west of the town gave members cause
for concern, with reports of people straying
on to the railway line to avoid the accumulated
mud. [Subsequent reports indicate that Fife Council
have now cleared the mud and repaired the fence.]
The Community Council will support moves for
an assessment of the viability of the cockle
stocks on the sands to the east of the beach.
The attempt to pinpoint the current locations
of the town's historical artefacts will be taken
forward with the posting of a notice at this
year's Heritage Exhibition, asking local folk
to list all such items that they know of. Scottish
Water had informed the Community Council that
a number of householders had opted not to connect
to the new sewage system, and that there was
no way of compelling them to do so. Members expressed
concern about the effect of this on the bathing
water quality. Among the planning applications
considered was one for the erection of a 17.5m
telecommunications mast on the golf course; members
decided not to object to this. They also decided
that they were content with proposals for an
extension to the Kingswood Hotel, noting with
approval that the plans included a relocated,
and safer, vehicle entrance. The meeting was
informed that a local developer had been served
a Wasteland Notice in relation to a plot at Landale
Place, which was currently the subject of a planning
appeal. Acting Chairman Plant contrasted the
alacrity which Fife Council had displayed in
this case with their cautious approach to the
serving of such a notice in the case of the Palace
Cinema. |
|
Community
Council Meeting of 9 August 2002
(There
was no meeting in July.)
The first part
of the meeting was devoted to another lengthy
discussion on environmental matters, focussing
on litter and the condition of the Links. Photos
of blackspots were available, and copies will
be sent to Fife Council for action. At the
same time, the Community Council will request
monthly inspections of the Links and town centre,
in the company of a Community Council representative.
The aim will be to identify what needs to be
done, and then to get Fife Council to do something.
Some surprise was expressed when Burntisland's
scores in the 'Best Kept Town' competition were
revealed. The judging panel had awarded 18 points
out of 30 for general factors; 12 out of 15 for
cleanliness; 16 out of 25 for private gardens;
and 16 out of 30 for community effort. On the
Common Good Fund, Fife Council had refused to
accept the Community Council's arguments about
a grant made to the Erskine Church - namely,
that a grant had been made which benefited the
Church and not the community as a whole. The
Community Council will therefore seek a meeting
with the appropriate sub committee of Fife Council,
to try to get agreement on a set of guidelines
which the sub committee would follow when deciding
future applications. They will also ask Fife
Council to suspend payments from the Common Good
Fund until agreement has been reached. In the
circumstances, two applications for grants on
which the Community Council had been asked to
comment (a new one from the Erskine Church, and
one from the Burntisland Tenants & Residents
Association) were left on the table. Fife Council
had informed the Community Council they had no
money to create a proper footpath between Meadow
Court and Glebe Place, but would note the proposal
for the future. The bridge over the burn at the
Toll Park was a higher priority, and a replacement
costing £8,000 was to be provided. The
Community Council will suggest a cheaper alternative
- that a short section of the Burn be culverted
- thus freeing some money for other projects.
On planning matters, the Community Council decided
not to object to the granting of detailed planning
permission for the building of three 5-bedroom
houses on the site of the former Binn House.
On the proposed development in Landale Place,
they noted that a Scottish Executive Reporter
would shortly be paying a site visit in connection
with the appeal which had been submitted. The
Community Council were informed that Fife Council
had secured funding of £312,500 for improvements
to Burntisland railway station - namely passenger
information systems; cycle lockers; safer access
routes; closed circuit television; and miscellaneous
facilities. No decision has yet been taken on
whether there will be Christmas lights in the
High Street this year. A Conservation Order,
the aim of which would be to protect the Pettycur
Bay area, is under consideration. The dangerous
remains of an old groyne at the western end of
the beach had been removed by Fife Council, although
they had at the same time apparently also removed
part of the adjacent groyne which was still serving
a useful purpose.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 13 September 2002
The
members and regulars on the public benches were
joined by fifteen or so local skateboarders,
who had come along to seek the Community Council's
support for the provision of a proper skateboarding
area in the town. The Community Council were
sympathetic to this request, and it was decided
to set up a working group under the chairmanship
of member Avril Coventry to explore the possibilities.
The group will comprise three Community Council
members and four local skateboarders. Sergeant
Thyne of the local police gave a comprehensive
report. He appealed for information from anyone
who could help them with information relating
to the increase in car vandalism in the past
month. He would also like the public to report
instances of illegal parking on zigzag markings,
an offence which Sergeant Thyne pointed out was
endorsable. He expressed concern about recent
road accidents near the Kingswood Hotel. The
concern was shared by the Community Council,
who are to ask Fife Council to consider some
short term measures (such as pruning of roadside
vegetation and improvement to drainage) and also
to consider what might be done at this blackspot
in the longer term. The provision of rumble strips
and of better signs and realignment of the road
were suggested. Sergeant Thyne said he was confident
that the town centre CCTV system would prove
to be success. In the initial period, staff had
had to learn how to manage the system to best
advantage, but there had already been a number
of significant successes, with persons being
apprehended. On the Palace Cinema, a Fife Council
Committee were due to consider a recommendation
from officials that a statutory notice requiring
environmental improvements should be served on
the owner. On environmental improvements on the
Links and elsewhere, Community Council member
Ian Quinney and Fife Council Locality Manager
Donald Grant are now carrying out regular monthly
inspections to identify urgent work required.
A decision on whether or not to have Christmas
lights in the High Street this year will be made
at the October meeting of the Community Council.
A major factor in this will be the amount of
volunteer effort forthcoming, and Vice Chairman
David Plant (telephone 872803) will be pleased
to hear from anyone who is interested in helping.
A letter had been received from Mr William Leggatt,
who had been elected to the Community Council
in October of last year but who had resigned
at the first meeting. Mr Leggatt said that,
as his resignation had not been in writing, he
was constitutionally still a member and he intended
to take his seat at the October meeting. Chairman
Alex MacDonald said that Mr Leggatt was
not a member, and he would be so informing him.
A motion to co-opt Mr Leggatt to the Community
Council failed to find a seconder and therefore
fell. It was noted that there was still one vacancy,
caused by the resignation of David Cooper, but
no action was taken on this. Reports were given
on the possible Alcan closure, but there was
little to add to the generally accurate coverage
which had appeared in the press. Alcan had assured
the Community Council that, in the event of closure,
they would honour their environmental obligations
but they were unable to give any information
about the future of the site. The neglected pruning
on the Coastal Path is to be attended to soon,
and Fife Council are also to be asked to carry
out similar work which is required at West Broomhill
Road, Melville Gardens and Manse Lane. Chairman
Alex MacDonald reported on a debriefing meeting
on Market Day. 400 traders had been invited to
rent space, and 80 had responded. Some of these
had dropped out when their licences were subsequently
revoked. Fife Council will try to encourage more
traders to take space next year. The Community
Council will point out to Fife Council that the
high rents charged could well have been a significant
factor in the reduction in the number of traders
this year. The police had estimated that there
had been between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors on
the day, but there had been only four arrests.
The Scottish Executive had recently rejected
two Burntisland planning appeals - there will
therefore be no increase in the number of houses
permitted on the site at Fleming way, and there
will be no development of the site at Landale
Place. The Community Council will submit comments
on three new planning applications - concerns
about road safety in relation to the proposed
telecommunications tower at Grange Farm; reservations
about the safety of the access to a proposed
development at Lonsdale Crescent; and a request
for a condition on minimisation of noise relating
to the strengthening of the viaduct in Harbour
Place.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 11 October 2002
The guest speaker
was Alastair Shaw of Fife Council, who described
the coming reorganisation of street sweeping.
In short, the present regular sweeping timetable
will be replaced by a focus on need - dirty streets
and/or high profile streets will be targeted,
and clean streets will be ignored. The Community
Council would be invited to comment in detail
on the categorisation of Burntisland streets.
Commenting on the large amount of resources devoted
to the uplift of bulky domestic refuse, Mr Shaw
revealed that there were 45,000 such uplifts
per annum in Central Fife alone. The provision
of special bins for waste paper was being implemented
in stages, and householders in Burntisland might
receive these in one to two years from now. It
was hoped that, in due course, further bins would
be provided for material suitable for composting.
After considerable
discussion, the Community Council decided that
the High Street Christmas lights, in their present
form, had had their day, and they will not be
put up this year. Fife Council will be asked
to remove the supporting cables. The Community
Council will discuss what might take their place
in 2003, and a donation of £300 received
from the Links Showmen's Tenants Association
will be used towards that new project. If any
local businesses are interested in making use
of the existing lights this year, they should
contact David Plant on 872803.
It was learned
that the Lammerlaws Road bridge would be closed
to motor vehicles for between two and five years.
Reports indicated that the alternative route,
via the docks, was being constructed to a high
standard. One disadvantage of that route was
that double decker buses would be unable to use
it, because of the height restriction in Harbour
Place.
Avril Coventry
reported that the local skateboarders had been
busy organising themselves into a club, and were
working on a number of ideas. Her Community Council
sub committee would meet shortly.
Members once
again expressed concern about the condition of
the Burntisland to Aberdour section of the Fife
Coastal Path. It was noted that Fife Council
were aware of this and were blaming faulty drainage,
but members were sceptical about the likelihood
of a speedy resolution.
The Community
Council then went into private session to consider
the co-option of new members to replace David
Cooper and Ian Quinney, who had resigned. They
decided to invite Alan Smart to become a member,
and Mr Smart subsequently accepted. There is
still one unfilled vacancy.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 8 November 2002
Chairman Alex
MacDonald welcomed new member Alan Smart, who
had been co-opted to the Community Council to
fill one of the two vacancies which had arisen
through resignations. The litter co-ordinator,
George Kay, reported on his recent meeting with
Fife Council officials, and revealed that Fife
Council wanted to rid themselves of responsibility
for the east Links toilets. The Community Council
are to ask that they be retained. No objection
was raised to a further proposal, that the derelict
public toilets at the Lammerlaws be demolished.
The Community Council will also ask that the
waste paper recycling bin be moved from the Links
car park to the Roundhouse car park, to join
the others which have already been moved; and
that the former recycling area of the Links car
park be cleaned and tidied. It was noted that
Gordon Hope will replace Donald Grant as Fife
Council's Locality Manager for Burntisland.
Avril Coventry
reported on a meeting with local skateboarders,
who intended to form a club and who had welcomed
the Rotary Club proposals for a multipurpose
paved and surfaced area on the Links. The Community
Council went on to consider the Rotary Club proposals,
and members were in principle favourably inclined
towards them. It was suggested that some redevelopment
of the paddling pool might be incorporated in
the development.
The Community
Council placed on record their appreciation of
the work done by Vice Chairman David Plant and
others in providing the Christmas lighting display
in the High Street over the years; and their
regret that a shortage of funds and volunteers
meant that it would no longer be possible to
provide the display.
As part of
a survey into the effectiveness of the Fife CCTV
system, representatives of the Fife Community
Safety Partnership will be interviewing people
in Burntisland town centre during the course
of this month, and a further sample of people
in May of next year. Local retailers will also
be interviewed.
Local developer
Bob Wilkie gave a presentation on updated plans
for the proposed development at the East Port.
He explained that the whole development was back
on the agenda as a result of renewed interest
by Fife Enterprise, whose participation was essential
if the non-commercial architectural and environmental
aspects were to be realised. He circulated plans
which were in most respects the same as those
which had originally been submitted to Fife Council.
The main change was that the standalone 9-apartment
block which would be on the other side of Rose
Street from the Porte Buildings was now at a
more detailed design stage. It was intended that
this block would be enhanced to give it architectural
merit commensurate with its proximity to the
Porte Buildings. The Community Council did not
take a formal view at this stage, although the
proposals were generally well received by the
members. Mr Wilkie said that his intention was
to submit a full planning application to Fife
Council by the end of January.
The Community
Council considered two planning applications.
They were happy with the proposal from the Cairn
Housing Association for five single story dwellings
and eight flats for the elderly at Lothian Street,
although they will ask for the boundary wall
to be brought up to an acceptable standard. On
the retrospective application for the new road
to the Lammerlaws, they will ask for reassurances
on the safety standards to which the road was
built. It was noted that the two heaps of boulders
which had been dumped by Railtrack on Pettycur
Sands had now been moved.
|
|
Community
Council Meeting of 13 December 2002
A representative
of the contractors who are replacing old water
mains in the town spoke briefly, and confirmed
that they would soon begin work in the area east
of Church Street. It was anticipated that work
in the town centre would begin about the end
of March. He confirmed that he would be gathering
information on local community activities for
next year, with a view to ensuring that conflict
would be minimised. Members were less than impressed
to hear that their concerns about the administration
of Burntisland Common Good Fund had been shelved
by Fife Council until a Fife-wide review of Common
Good Funds had been undertaken.
Andy Wight-Boycott
reported on a meeting with Alcan Chemicals, when
various organisations had been consulted on Alcan's
desire to once again lay a drainage pipe in the
course of the Kirkton Burn to get rid of excess
water which had been accumulating in the reservoir
at the Whinneyhall tip. Members reluctantly accepted
this proposal, as the only alternative was removal
of the water by road tanker. It was likely that
many years would pass before Whinneyhall would
be fit for an alternative use. There was a brief
mention of Alcan's 'golden handshake' of £1m
for the town, but, as that had only been announced
earlier in the day, substantive discussion was
left to the January meeting.
There was a
lengthy debate on the most suitable location
for the bottle banks and other recycling receptacles,
and the Community Council confirmed their earlier
view, that these should not be returned to the
Links car park. Secretary Margaret Macdonald
confirmed that she had, as agreed at the last
meeting, written to Shona Robison MSP, expressing
the Community Council's support for her bill
on control of fireworks.
Having been
reassured that the plans had been altered to
provide for a wider pavement, the Community Council
decided to withdraw their objection to a proposed
single house development at Lonsdale Crescent.
Members agreed to make a small donation to the
Horticultural Society, in appreciation of their
work in public areas of the town. Several members
reported that they had been asked why there were
no High Street Christmas lights this year, and
it was agreed that it was important that the
public be aware that the reasons were a lack
of finance to carry out the essential stress
testing of the anchorage points and to replace
worn out components; and a lack of volunteers
to assist with the putting up and taking down
of the lights.
Local developer
Bob Wilkie updated members on the proposed development
at the East Port. He said that the authorities
were dragging their feet to such an extent that,
unless things improved quickly, he would be submitting
a revised planning application for a smaller
development. This would be confined to the area
at present containing the two derelict tenements
in Thistle Street, plus the two smaller adjoining
buildings on the west side of Rose Street.
The Community
Council then went into private session to consider
the nominations for the Burntisland Community
Award for 2003.
|
