Date set for urgent repair work at Craigtoun Park’s Dutch Village as planning application lodged

A bid to save an iconic Fife visitor attraction from ruin is finally due to start within months.

Fife Council pledged £250,000 towards urgent repair work at the Dutch Village in Craigtoun Country Park in February.

And the Scottish Government later committed extra funds to restore the decaying B-listed buildings.

A planning application for the work has now been submitted to Fife Council.

And, if approved, it should begin in March.

For Henry Paul, of Friends of Craigtoun Park, which runs the St Andrews attraction, it is welcome news.

“We’re really excited and exceptionally pleased,” he said.

“The extra money effectively means we’ll be able to get twice as much done as we thought.”

Planning application reveals urgent work proposed for Dutch Village

The Dutch Village sits on an island in the middle of Craigtoun Park’s boating lake.

However, access closed 20 years ago when the condition of the cafe, ice cream booth and boat house began to deteriorate.

And they are now listed on Scotland’s Buildings At Risk Register.

Campaigners feared the attraction would become “a sad ruin and an eyesore” without urgent intervention.

However, the planning application includes a report by St Andrews architects RKA.

And it outlines a list of proposals aimed at stopping the rot.

It involves repairs to or replacement of roofs, rendering, doors, windows and stone coping.

Meanwhile, all rendered areas will be cleaned and painted.

And a new waterproof render is planned for areas beneath the water line.

‘It won’t get us all the way but it’s a start’

The Dutch Village repair work does not include the stone footbridge which leads to the island.

And it will not be enough for Friends of Craigtoun to realise their dream of reopening the buildings to the public.

“It’s a start,” said Henry. “It won’t get us all the way but at least there will be a major improvement which will stop it deteriorating further.

“At the moment the planned start date is March next year.

“And that’s because a lot of work is with lime mortar so we have to do it in summer.

“It’s just too risky to start quickly. That gives us all winter to sort the contracts.”