As the closure of Longannet bites the local community has started planning the power station’s “legacy”.
Only four months on from the day the Kincardine station shut down, locals are already feeling the impact on the area, delegates at a major conference heard.
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust honoured its pledge to give people a say in the work of the Longannet taskforce at the event which saw around 60 delegates get round the table to plan the future.
This is the largest event the trust has carried out and is in response to the devastating impact the power station’s closure will have on the west Fife villages in particular.
Residents from some of the Fife mining villages most affected by the Longannet closure rubbed shoulders with senior officials from the Scottish Government-appointed taskforce, Fife Council, and ScottishPower.
The trust launched its own Longannet initiative to use its community empowerment and experience to help communities set up their own action plans.
And it appointed a new member of staff, Gary Porter to work exclusively on the Longannet project, putting boots on the ground and listening to the concerns of local groups and small businesses.
He said there was a very strong feeling delegates wanted to ensure there was some sort legacy of the power station, and the massive impact it has had on the area.
“That could be through promoting tourism but there was also a concern that future generations are aware of the part Longannet played in so many people’s lives.”
Transport was also a major topic to arise.
Duncan Hearsum, chief executive of Dial a Journey, said: “Transport is a good example of the knock-on effect of a closure like this, which is likely to mean fewer bus services, at time when these links are essential for many job seekers.
“At one of our discussions the café operator in Kincardine Community Centre said that she had to restrict the days the café can open because volunteers can’t get suitable public transport links.”
The trust’s vice chairman Nicky Wilson said: “We were delighted with the response to this conference and the balance we were able to strike between key speakers and local people who used the focus sessions to identify the issues affecting their own communities.”
The trust will now form an action plan based on the detailed report of discussions and hopes to start appointing a local steering group to take the plan forward over the next few weeks.
Taskforce co-chairman, Fife Council leader Councillor Ross said: “Local communities are central to the process of regenerating the local area in the wake of the Longannet closure and it was good to sit round the table with local people and community representatives and hear their views.”
