Anstruther businesses fear hundreds of visitors will avoid the town during work to build a new £7 million lifeboat station.
A busy town centre car park and beach will close completely for 18 months during construction, which is due to start soon.
And traders say the impact on them could be more “catastrophic” than lockdown, despite promises of a park and ride shuttle bus.
More than 50 business people have now written a joint letter to Fife Council chief executive Ken Gourlay, calling for work to be postponed.
They include the famous Anstruther Fish Bar, other fish and chip shops, restaurants, pubs, gift shops, opticians, hairdressers and holiday accommodation owners.
While the businesses insist they wholeheartedly support the RNLI’s work, they say the loss of 70 parking spaces over two busy summer seasons is not acceptable.
Up to 10 tour buses use the site every day, bringing around 2,000 visitors a week.
And hundreds of families also arrive by car.
Anstruther lifeboat car park closure could be ‘catastrophic’
Anstruther RNLI’s new lifeboat station will house the new £3.5m Shannon class lifeboat, which sailed into town almost a year ago.
It has allowed the crew to halve their response times and cover a bigger area.
However, the current station is too small and extending it is said to be not economically viable.
The larger one will be built at the opposite end of the car park before the old one is demolished.
Planning permission was granted in 2020 following community consultation.
However, traders say no mention was ever made of closing the entire East Basin car park and beach.
The RNLI has built a temporary park and ride car park near the Co-op to reduce the impact on businesses.
And they will run daily shuttle buses to the shore, but only at peak times.
Businesses describe the Anstruther lifeboat as “a real jewel in the crown locally”.
However, they are adamant its parking arrangement is “completely inadequate”.
In their letter, they claim they have already heard people talking about bypassing Anstruther during the construction period to avoid the disruption.
“The lockdowns during the pandemic were hard enough to deal with,” they say.
“But the likely effects on the local economy will be potentially more catastrophic.”
The traders have called for a public meeting to thrash out a compromise, including starting in October.
Traffic management plan being prepared
Fife Council says closing the car park during construction is necessary for safety reasons.
As well as a temporary park and ride, a traffic management plan has been prepared.
The council says this should minimise disruption and regular updates will be provided its website and social media.
Finance, economy and strategic planning spokesman, Councillor Altany Craik said the new lifeboat station marks a considerable investment.
“The state-of-the-art facility will not only enhance lifesaving capabilities but also ensures that Anstruther remains at the heart of maritime safety for generations to come,” he said.
“While we acknowledge there will be some short-term disruptions, we are working closely with the RNLI to keep the community informed and mitigate any inconvenience.”
Conversation