High Street finally reopens after seven years of wrangling

The people of Dysart have been handed an early Christmas present with the reopening of the High Street after a seven year closure.

The road was shut to through traffic in December 2009 after a retaining wall collapsed and was ruled dangerous.

Part of the garden wall and the edge of the road slid down into the garden of a house.

Local people claimed the narrow street had not been designed to cope with heavy traffic diverted along it when gas pipes were being laid on Normand Road.

They blamed a combination of buses, lorries and bad weather for the landslide.

A lengthy legal battle followed, and while Fife Council was found not liable, a sheriff said it was unreasonable for the landowners to meet the substantial repair cost and ordered the local authority to contribute.

Councillor Neil Crooks, chairman of Kirkcaldy area committee, said a new solution had been found that had never previously been on the table.

“There was not a quick fix because they needed to underpin the road and create a platform for the wall to go on,” he said.

“With the road being shut off the bus couldn’t come down there and the bus that served the village had to be redirected.

“The whole thing had a negative effect on the people living there.”

He added: “I’m delighted to see this road finally reopen, and sad that my colleague Councillor Kay Carrington did not live to see it.

“The work has been completed and I thank the contractors and our council staff for creating this workable and affordable solution.

“Most importantly, we acknowledge the residents of Dysart who suffered the inconvenience of the closure for too many years.”

Neil Crooks.