Fife Council to spend almost £60,000 on extra parking spaces

FIFE COUNCIL will spend almost £60,000 to fix a long-running parking problem in Charlestown.

It had been suggested that residents at The Cairns would have to pay towards the “one-off” solution but the local authority will foot the cost, which has already gone up by more than £13,000.

Cars parked along the semi-circular street have created access issues, making it particularly difficult for larger vehicles, such as emergency vehicles or those delivering online shopping, to get through.

A total of 28 residents signed a petition calling for action and, back in February, two options were suggested by the council: an £80,000 project to create 18 parking spaces and a footway, with work to be done at the junction of The Cairns; and a £45,000 project to create 16 parking spaces, with no footway or work at the junction.

The cheaper option was backed by villagers and local councillors.

However, at the South and West Fife area committee last week, community manager Alastair Mutch said: “Material costs will have increased by 20 per cent at least.

“Based on this, I’ve added a further 10 per cent to those projections, and that means that option two could potentially increase from £45,000 to £58,500.

“Housing services have agreed to fund up to £22,500 which means there’s a shortfall or balance for funding of £36,000.

“Following discussions with ward five councillors it’s recommended, and with their support, that this is met from area capital funds.”

The parking spaces will be created on the green space in the centre of The Cairns, which is owned by the council’s housing services.

Mr Mutch’s report to the committee added: “This project will address work that the residents of The Cairns believe is necessary and provides a positive solution following the petition presented.

“Whilst a funding solution has been identified, it should be noted that this does not set a precedent for similar work or responses for matters raised by local communities.”

At the meeting of the committee in February, it was suggested that residents may have to pay towards the works, an issue he admitted would “prove challenging”. This has now been ruled out.

Councillor Brian Goodall said there was an important safety element, in regard to access for emergency services, and that the “one-off” works would make a significant difference for residents.

The committee agreed the contribution of £36,000 from the area capital budget.

Convener David Barratt said: “It has been a long-running saga and it’s positive it’s been brought forward and that we can hopefully deliver on community priorities.”