Plans for a dedicated stopover site for Gypsy Travellers near a west Fife village have been dramatically scrapped, The Courier has learned.
The site at Cairneyhill was one of three being pursued by Fife Council as it seeks to provide short-term managed encampments for families passing through the region.
However, it is thought discussions with a private landowner at the site adjacent to the B9037 Cairneyhill to Torryburn road have since broken down, forcing a local authority rethink.
Councillors had given the green light to pursue the Cairneyhill site along with others near Crail and Cardenden back in August (link), despite concern in all three areas about the level of consultation carried out.
A fourth site under consideration, at a lay-by on the B925 near Crossgates, was formally discounted by councillors at the same meeting amid concerns about road safety and a nearby gas pipeline.
West Fife councillor Gerry McMullan, who has long highlighted residents’ concerns, said he was delighted at the latest turn of events.
”I was against any proposal to establish a site so close to the village,” Mr McMullan told The Courier. ”It was taking away part of the core path system of Fife and was a very dangerous area for many reasons especially the transportation issues surrounding the A985 and the traffic light system on the bridge at the very edge of the proposed camp site.”
Mr McMullan also feels the process of community engagement and consultation has been flawed.
”I brought it to the attention of many of my colleagues and officers that there were concerning anomalies with the consultation process and I hope lessons have now been learned,” he added.
”I’m delighted for the communities of Cairneyhill, Torryburn and Crombie the residents can now get back to once more using the area for walking their dogs, cycling and general exercise in complete safety.”
Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker also welcomed the news but pointed the finger of blame at council officers.
”This is actually a good decision as access and egress to and from the proposed site was very dangerous but it should never have got this far,” he said.
”Surely council officers should have ascertained long before now whether the ground would have been available?
”A huge amount of public upset and cost has been caused in this whole matter which simply confirms my previous request to Fife Council chief executive Ronnie Hinds for an urgent inquiry into the manner that this entire issue was handled by council officers.”
Fife’s cooperation policy commits to providing between six and eight stopover sites across the region and several locations have been looked at for their suitability.
Council officials reckoned the sites at Kilminning near Crail, Pitcairn near Cardenden and the Cairneyhill site offered the most viable solutions and recommended these should be pursued further, despite community concerns being raised.
The latter in particular proved controversial as a council report said there was ”no support” for the plan within Cairneyhill itself, although there was a recognition that the site has been used for many years for Travellers.
A public meeting in April suggested there were only two out of 40 people who supported the proposals, while people were far more vocal about families who visited the current unauthorised encampment amid claims there had been a great deal of anti-social behaviour as a result.
Nevertheless, the landowner was said to be interested in leasing the area of ground to the council for the purposes of a managed stopover site and discussions have been ongoing in the last few weeks with a view to the council seeking temporary planning consent.
Fife’s housing and communities committee is due to meet in Glenrothes on Tuesday, although it is not known if the way forward will be discussed there.
The sites at Crail and Cardenden are still expected to go ahead as planned.