Plans for dedicated stopover sites for Gypsy Travellers have been approved by Fife Council.
In the face of continuing community opposition, the principle of the creation of sites at Crail, Cardenden and Cairneyhill was voted through by members of the housing and communities committee on Tuesday.
Council officers have conceded the issue is controversial but have pledged to monitor the sites closely and liaise with locals.
They have said failure to establish stopover sites could prevent the council from seeking an eviction order from the courts to remove Gypsy Travellers from unauthorised encampments.
It is also hoped the plans will reduce the number of unofficial sites which spring up in Fife each year.
In the communities where sites are planned, there have been claims that there has been little or no consultation despite assurances to the contrary by the local authority.
The proposal is for consent for three years, for March to October only, to be reviewed after one travelling season. The sites could be up and running as early as next spring.
Senior housing manager John Mills told the committee: “This is a controversial topic indeed. To date, no Scottish council has succeeded in establishing stopover sites for Gypsy Travellers.
“There are still a number of outstanding road safety concerns at the Cardenden and Cairneyhill sites.
“We have agreed meetings will take place in the run-up to any planning permission being approved by the council.
“Consultation doesn’t stop with this committee report. There will be ongoing dialogue and I have suggested local liaison groups be established.”
However, following a meeting with Cairneyhill Community Council, west Fife councillor Gerry McMullan said: “I am reliably informed that no discussions have taken place with anyone from Cairneyhill Community Council on this proposed site for travelling people.
“This particular disused road has now been fully secured, preventing travelling people from entering the area by the landowners, and it’s interesting to note that when the area was considered as a possible site for a village amenity hall Fife Council rejected any notion of the idea due to the fact it was considered too dangerous for residents crossing the A985 and that the vehicle access points constituted a high risk.”
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Community council chairwoman Maureen Hunter added: “This particular area has major opposition from both Torryburn and Cairneyhill community councils, yet despite the lack of consultation Fife Council officers have stated in the papers that they are at present in discussions with the landowners for the possible lease of the land.”
Cardenden councillor Mark Hood said lack of consultation was a huge issue and claimed local concerns had not been addressed.
“There is a lot of concern and I don’t think the community will accept this decision,” he said.
Although the Crail community was congratulated for its “qualified support” of the plan, it is believed that at one time over 100 signatures against it had been collected and there is some disquiet in the village about lack of consultation.
The council hopes to eventually create between six and eight stopover sites across the region, and the three already agreed were identified by the Gypsy Travellers’ Working Group.
Group chairwoman Councillor Alice McGarry said a lot of hard work had gone into the plans, and added: “There has been a lot of abuse hurled around at members and officers. It’s not been an easy passage and we’re still not there. However, we do agree we need to move forward.
“I understand the concerns of communities because, quite frankly, some of the behaviour we have had in Fife in the past several years leads to people having fears about Gypsy Traveller encampments near to them.”
Mrs McGarry said the sites would house small encampments for people with nowhere else to go and promised they would be well run.
The council plans to spend £15,000 on the three sites.
In Crail, the former waste management area at Kilminning has been identified, although the council has been asked to erect a barrier to prevent access to the rest of the picnic area.
A site at Pitcairn has been chosen for Cardenden, although it has been recognised it has problems with flooding and road safety concerns.
In Cairneyhill, discussions are ongoing with a landowner who indicated he is willing to lease an area of his ground to the council.
The three sites were agreed despite a bid by Labour councillors to defer a decision until members had visited the land to see problems for themselves.