A long-anticipated and much-delayed clean up of radiation strewn Dalgety Bay beach will finally begin next year.
Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath Labour MP Lesley Laird has revealed the Ministry of Defence will start the work on the foreshore – awash with contaminated material left behind from the Second World War – in the summer of 2020.
Mrs Laird met Tobias Ellwood, Government Minister for the MoD, in London to press for assurances the delayed project would definitely go ahead.
“After years of inaction I’m pleased to learn, and I’m sure residents will be too, that work will finally start on cleaning up the beach in summer 2020,” she said.
“To say this has been a long drawn out affair is something of an understatement.
“The cost to carry out the project has significantly increased but the MoD remains committed to completing this work.”
An action plan, which includes removing some of the contaminated debris and containing the rest by building a wall and new slipway, is expected to be signed off by the Cabinet Office early this month.
Mrs Laird added: “The Minister has agreed to provide written confirmation of this, and to ensure that the Cabinet Office sign off the project.
“Once the financial package is signed off the tender process will then be able to be undertaken and is expected to take four months.”
It was hoped remediation work would be complete by the end of this summer.
It was revealed towards the end of last year the work will not even be started in 2019 after the UK Government took longer than expected to give the plans final approval.
There is also a small window of opportunity every year for the physical work to be carried out.
After years of refusing to accept liability for the wartime dumping of the radioactive debris, the MoD was named as the polluter by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
This was more than two decades after the radiation was found.
Work has since progressed but delays have caused frustration for the local community tired of waiting so long to have the saga resolved.
Mrs Laird has pledged she would continue to monitor this project closely and ensure the MoD makes good on its commitment to the Dalgety Bay community.
