elieandearlsferrycc.org

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Minutes of Meeting of Elie and Royal Burgh of Earlsferry Community Council held on 8^th May at Isaac Mackie House

Present:  Angela Anderson, Kirsty Barclay, Grizelda Cowan, Cath McIntosh, Carol Birrell, George Cowan and Cllr Alycia Hayes

Apologies. Councillors Fiona Corps and Sean Dillon

New declarations of interest: None

November minutes: proposed by Cath, seconded by George

Elie Parish Church

Following meeting held in Church on 7^th at which it was confirmed that our church is destined to be ‘sold, let or otherwise disposed of’ we welcomed several members of the public to discuss possibilities of the community buying the building. It was agreed that a group be formed to take this further. More information to follow but, meanwhile if anyone is interested in becoming involved in such a venture should initially contact keith.dewhurst@nlb.org.uk

Councillors’ Update

Allycia Hayes

Alycia informed us that when filling in the information in the link provided for our application, we needed to leave blank anything that does not relate to Scottish Community structures.

Alycia confirmed that there has been concern expressed over FC’s handling of the Common Good Funds, particularly following the introduction of a new policy which allows FC to spend funds from CGFs and making it easier for FC to dispose of CGF properties. A new company of auditors has been appointed. Alycia agreed to check if we have any land within our CGF – there is a possibility that part of the golf course is still included. FC will do a complete audit of all CGFs in July, two weeks after which they are made public for a short time. Alycia agreed to keep an eye out and inform us exactly when this happens.

Toll Green

Carol agreed to arrange a date for a public ceremony to mark the installation of Jim Robertson’s memorial bench.

Information leaflet for owners of new houses Wadeslea

It was agreed that such a leaflet should be produced by Graham Johnston and Steve Blaney. Grizelda asked if she could be involved with this.

Storm damage to dunes and beach huts

FCCT has agreed to take sand from Telford Wynd and put it back on the beach. A ‘shin rail’ is to be put in place in an attempt to stop sand erosion.

It is understood that house owners by Glovers Wynd are organising reparation of the rock armour.

An urgent request has been made to FC that the damage caused at Boat Wynd should be attended to. It was agreed that the existing ‘cage’ which was recently erected is actually making it less safe.

Infrastructure repairs

In addition to existing requests:

Flooding from electric substation on Ferry Road.

It is understood that Kelburn Construction have been appointed by Scottish Power as contractors to fix the problem. This is major work and they estimate it will take 2 weeks. Cllr Alycia Hays agreed to check if a request has actually been made to FC for the necessary road closure.

A request has been made to FC for better signage on the west end of Ferry Road indicating a one-way system and also for signs aimed specifically at cyclists that Ferry Road and Links Road are one way only and that this applies to them as much as to motorised vehicles.

Once again, we urgently request that a ‘Give Way’ sign should be placed at the bottom of School Wynd

It is understood that the FC Transport Team will be coming to meet with us on 12^th June and will have a ‘walk round’ all the problem areas. We look forward to bringing to their attention all the requests we have been making for the past four plus years.

Statement for Planning

The statement for planning in relation to the villages’ views on new builds is currently being worked on and the updated version will be presented at the next CC meeting. 

Out-of-Hours Service and Minor Injuries Unit at St Andrews

Our CC Chair Angela Anderson has chaired the Out-of-Hours group from when it was first set up as a sub-group of St Andrews Community Council.  It was established to challenge NHS Fife’s intention to close down the Out-of-Hours Service and Minor Injuries Unit at St Andrews Community Hospital. The group submitted a Participation Request (PR) to NHS Fife in 2018 with a request to be involved in the decision-making process around these services.  The PR was ultimately successful and the services were retained at St Andrews.  However, NHS Fife managed to close down similar services at Glenrothes. Our concerns now centre round the apparent managed decline by NHS Fife of service provision in the community. To see the group’s progress go to: https://www.elieandearlsferrycc.org/news.asp  to read the minutes from their last meeting.

Police Report

Welcome to the Ward 20 monthly report from your local community officers.

PC 0333 Robert Wallace and PC 0137 Rob Cook.

Contact your local community team on our email address:

eastneuklandwardCPT@scotland.police.uk  

Please Note, this email address is NOT for reporting a crime or ongoing incidents and due to our shift pattern, is not monitored 24/7 – Please call 101 or 999 if you require a prompt response.

Community Engagements

PC’s Cook and Wallace have been nominated for The Royal Humane Society Awards in relation to an incident which took place on 23rd of February 2024 at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews, where a male had suffered a Cardiac arrest.

Post incident the Doctor remarked that the Officers were able to support the delivery of good quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and Advanced Life Support to the patient in collaboration with Ambulance & Air Ambulance colleagues who arrived later in the incident, after the Officers had already been delivering CPR for some time.

Their actions serve as an example of the positive impact that collaboration between Pre-hospital care teams and Police Scotland can have in emergency situations.

Fife Council Safer Communities Team and Police Scotland have joined up with other partners to ask all dog walkers to ‘Take the Lead’ and to keep their pets under control when out and about. PC Strandberg and Jacqui Leigh from Fife Council Safer Communities Team recently attended Elie beach. Here they spoke with dog walkers, residents and holiday makers to promote responsible dog ownership.

Fife’s countryside is a great place to walk your dog. We want people who own a dog or are looking to own a dog in Fife to:

• Keep their dog on the lead in the countryside, particularly when near livestock.

• Keep their dog safe - there are dangers for dogs in the countryside.

• Be aware that any dog can become a danger to animals and wildlife.

• Always pick up after their dog

• Take responsibility for their dog - especially in spring when young livestock are particularly vulnerable.

For more information, please contact safercommunities.projectofficers@fife.gov.ukcop

ROAD SAFTEY - COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH

Community Speedwatch is back up and running for the lighter evenings.

Community Speed Watch involves local resident volunteers being deployed on our roads with speed detection devices to provide a visible presence to deter and identify speeding motorists in hot-spot areas. If you know anyone who would like to become a volunteer, please email the community e-mail box for further details.

Treasurer’s report

Cath confirmed that we have received our annual grant form FC despite our late application caused by Royal Bank of Scotland’s failure to process our account intime 😊

Playpark Update

Bridget is working closely with Cath to establish a ‘sub account’ showing the playpark funds separate from E&ECC’s.

EAG Update provided by Graham Meacher                                                  

General

• Good progress has been made with early planting and many of the village planters have received attention, with more to come in due course.
• A village tidy-up event was held on Wed 1 May and 5 people came along to help. Work completed included cleaning of all picnic table and benches, sweeping up of bird nest debris, weeding, deadheading and giving Bert the caterpillar a bath!  The bus shelter was also cleaned, along with the surrounding area.
• Hyde Park and Archbald Park have also received attention. Significant work is needed on both areas to remove weeds. Archbald Park is also in need of more gravel.
• The boat planter at the eastern gateway has been emptied in preparation for its refurbishment and replanting.
• Three new large self-watering planters have been purchased by the EAG and two placed on the Elie High St with the other being located at Boat Wynd in Chapel Green. All three are being sponsored, which will help fund their maintenance.
• Elie Primary School pupils are looking to become involved in caring for a planter and this is being followed-up.

Projects

• Repair/refurb of Victorian lamps (Church Gates). Delighted to report that replacement lamps are now in place and have been connected. Having given up on ever seeing the originals again after 2 years with the contractor, new lamps have been purchased by the EAG. The new lamps have been given an extra 2 coats of Hammerite paint as added protection against the harsh coastal environment.
• Repair/refurb of Victorian Water Pump. Awaiting clarification on ownership from FC. Plans for fundraising strategy to pay for restoration (c£20k) in hand.
• Top up Tap – No change from last update.
• Telephone Kiosk – No change from last update.
• Picnic Table replacement – No change from last update.
• Trees on Toll Green – the pollarding of some trees has made a huge difference to the cleanliness of Toll Green. Areas under the pollarded trees are now clean and free from bird droppings and nest debris, whilst other areas under unpollarded trees remain filthy. We look forward to the work being completed in due course.

Next meeting Tuesday 4^th June at 7.30, Earlsferry Town Hall.

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Minutes of Meeting of Elie and Royal Burgh of Earlsferry Community Council held on 2^nd April at Earlsferry Town Hall

Present:  Angela Anderson, Kirsty Barclay, Grizelda Cowan, Cath McIntosh and George Cowan

Apologies Carol Birrell. No word from our local Councillors Fiona Corps, Alycia Hayes or Sean Dillon

New declarations of interest: None

November minutes: proposed by Kirsty, seconded by George

Questions from the public

Ferry Road flooding – nothing has happened. Angela agreed to contact Cllr Alycia Hayes who had promised to look into this.

Location for RLNI Lifeguard Station

We were all surprised to see planning application (24/00571/FULL) for relocation of RLNI station from Harbour Beach to the beach by Ruby Bay Carpark.

We welcomed Robbie Blyth to the meeting who explained that he had suggested that the life guard station might be relocated as the beach by Ruby Bay is a much more suitable beach for bathers and is being more frequently used by open water swimmers. However, it had always been his intention to elicit opinion on this decision from locals and visitors alike and he expressed his surprise to see the planning application without any prior discussion. It was agreed at the meeting that there are problems providing a safe bathing area away from the ‘watersporters’ particularly when the tide is low. Angus Meldrum, representing Elie Watersports, who also attended the meeting explained that he is able to instruct his staff and clients to stay outside the swimmers’ marker buoys but that there are many independent watersporters over which he has no jurisdiction. He said that he and his staff do keep a constant lookout for anyone in difficulty and will rescue whenever necessary. It was agreed that the lifeguard station should not relocate this year but any opinions on this matter would be most welcome. Meanwhile, it is hoped that the lifeguards might be a bit more proactive with those in the water by introducing themselves and talking to swimmers and watersporters and Angus agreed to formally record all rescues that he or his staff undertake.

FCCT matters

Robbie Blyth informed the meeting that, due to erosion, the Coastal Path from Elie to Ardoss has been rerouted and signs are in place. It was noted, though, that many are ignoring the signs. It is hoped that the path will be repaired but noted that discussions will need to take place with coastal landowners if path access is to be brought further inland.

Abbeyford, the owners of Elie Caravan Park have agreed to display the posters produced by FCCT advising the public of the unsuitability of installing memorials in public areas, specifically around Ruddons Point and the Lighthouse.

It was noted that the large yellow bottle bank has been removed from outside the recycling centre at Ruby Bay carpark and it is understood that the plan is to enlarge the recycling unit to allow it to be replaced inside the unit itself. It has a gauge which can inform the authorities when it is full and it is hoped that this will prevent bottles being piled up outside when the container is full.

Sailing Club/Harbour Trust

Angus explained that discussions are taking place to consider the opening up of the sailing club premises to the public as a pavilion and changing area. At present the dingy park lease is up for renewal; the Harbour Trust has offered to provide an indoor club area for use of the sailing club members should they wish to renew the lease of the area.

Stewart Barclay, Harbour Master, once again emphasised the dangers to the public caused by the erosion of the no parking double yellow lines running from the Ship Inn to the Harbour. As a result, cars are parking all along what should be a pedestrian walkway. This is to be reported as urgent to Fife Council.

Stewart Barclay, representing Elie Estate, also stressed the importance of all walkers in the Estate to pay heed to No Entry signs to the area around the sawmill and its machines.

Councillors Updates: No word from our councillors.

Toll Green

The memorial bench for Jim Robertson is now in place. A ceremony is being arranged – more info to follow.

The cherry tree to commemorate the coronation of King Charles III is now in flower.

King’s Portrait

As our request for a portrait has been refused Angela agreed to ask Cllr Alycia Hayes to investigate why.

Statement for Planning

The statement for planning in relation to the villages’ views on new builds is currently being worked on and the updated version will be presented at the next CC meeting. 

Local Development Plan

Fife Council Transport Team has agreed to visit the area to meet and discuss with the CC our transport concerns and proposals.

Elmwood College

The Participation Request in relation to Elmwood College was submitted to the SRUC on 17 March 2024. Gavin McGregor and Dr Mary Thomson have now agreed to meet with the CC representatives on Wednesday 24 April at Elmwood College.  The CC is also seeking to send the members of the other CCs in Fife the information on the Participation Request with a request for support. The CC is also looking for any members of the other Community Councils in Fife who would be interested in taking part in this activity.

Problems facing East Fife Responders

The Scottish Ambulance Service has been responsive to the request that training for volunteers should take place locally, as opposed to Perth, and it is hoped that will be made possible.

Local development Plan

All Scottish CCs have been encouraged to submit a local Development plan and to that end the E&ECC has submitted one which includes a proposal for a raised pavement at the entrances to Elie, which was included in the Charette carried out in 2019 and more recent requests. This can be read in full by going to:

https://www.elieandearlsferrycc.org/index.asp?pageid=736331

Police report

It was agreed that the CC should support the Speedwatch initiative. If anyone would like to volunteer to participate they should email StAndrewsCPT@scotland.police.uk

Treasurer’s report

It was confirmed that Jim Robertson and Angus Meldrum should be removed as signatories.

Playpark Update

The Playpark committee have confirmed that they have been promised £50k from FC and are awaiting documentation to confirm this. They have applied to the Common Good Fund for funding of £30k and the E&ECC gave their support to this application.

SEPA Flood Survey

Angela agreed to complete Potentially Vulnerable Areas - Public Consultation Survey on behalf of E&ECC. More information can be found here - https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/evidence-and-flooding/potentially-vulnerable-areas/

EAG Update                                                

1. Review of 23/24 – general views were that we had done a good job, but it is important to keep the momentum and to show that the donations are being spent. 
2. It was agreed that the contract with the blacksmith for the lamps at the church should be treated as rescinded and we should fund Graham Meacher for replacement lights. 
3. Greater use could be made of social media to inform the village of the EAG achievements.  We should also make it clear that we are open to accept donations and we should be looking at sponsorship/adoption by people/business – one suggestion should be in favour of memorials via some of the planters. Shona has already taken up the offer as have the Deli who have made a contribution.  We have also received £300 from the sports club.
4. Looking to this year, at the St Monans entrance to the village, the EAG aims to remove the wood boxes and place one of the barrels from the Pavilion at the entrance.  We will keep the boat, plant it up and place gravel round it with some stones.  It was nice to see the planted bulbs coming up and hopefully will increase with time. 
5. Hyde and Archibold parks are doing well but there is a need to control drift of the grass and find some way to keep the edges neat. 
6.  Toll Green has been very much improved by partial tree lopping.  The Community Council will request Fife Council to finish the job once the birds have flown.   The new memorial bench for Jim Robertson is expected to arrive soon.  A suitable ceremony will take place when it is on site. Fife Council has removed quite a bit of the strewn branches, so a big tidy-up is not required just now.
7. Planters are to be purchased to place beside the church wall and in Boat Wynd.
8. There is still uncertainty as to how long the boat and planters will last in Park Place, but the intention is to make do meantime with the boat but perhaps put some more flowers in it. The box on Woodside is to be kept in that location.
9. The Pavilion roundel which has been planted up by Jo and Keith, has been much admired. They are currently waiting for bark weed cover and to devise a notice to be put there which acknowledges the work done by the EAG.
10. The planters at the Pavilion are looking good for the easter week holidays.
11.  At the Earlsferry Townhall there seems to be a phantom planter mover of e’ferry as the stone planters keep going into the back and coming to back out to the front.
12. The Ferry Road boat and planter are looking good. 
13. At Boat Wynd the alterations to Catherine Villa are almost finished and a new planter has been paid for by donation from the Adams Family. 
14. The planters at Chapel Green will be put in place, once the rabbit threat to devouring them is less.
15. The Old Schoolhouse owners are to look after the planter at the library – for which the EAG is very grateful.
16. The Planting Out event is to be published on social media.
17. The EAG agreed to involve social media more and that regular updates should be posted on the local chat page.   It was also agreed that the EAG should continue to solicit donations making use of social media to do that and inform locals about EAG activities.
18. Progress is being made in relation to the Fountain at Toll Green, but that progress is slow.
19.  It was noticed that St Monans had some allotments in their new development – enquiries are to be made of Alex Nairn* as to whether there might be room for some allotments in the new housing development.
20. It was felt that a lack of manpower from Fife Council resulted in the verges and pavement edges being overrun with weeds.  It was agreed to ask the Community Council to contact the councillors to see if something could be done about this.

AOB

Kirsty asked if the Environmental Group might like to receive some input from the children at Elie Primary School. Angela agreed to pass on this request to Graham Johnston.

It was noted that the allotments provided within the new housing development in St Monans are proving to be very popular and it was mooted that a similar initiative might be adopted within the new proposed development at Wadeslea.

The Pizza van has been having problems finding a suitable place to park. As it has a Street Trader’s Licence it was agreed that it may park anywhere permitted.

Next meeting Tuesday 7^th May at 7.30, Earlsferry Town Hall.

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Minutes 2024

Minutes of Meeting of Elie and Royal Burgh of Earlsferry Community Council held on 5^th March 2024 at Earlsferry Town Hall

Present:  Angela Anderson, Kirsty Barclay, Grizelda Cowan, Cath McIntosh, George Cowan and Carol Birrell, Cllr Alycia Hayes,

Apologies Cllrs Fiona Corps and Sean Dillon

New declarations of interest: None

November minutes: proposed by Kirsty, seconded by Cath  

Questions from the public

The CC welcomed three members of the public, Judith Dunlop who came to update us on the new sauna at the harbour, Vicky Brown who wished to express her concern about the pollarding of the trees on Toll Green in what is now nesting season and Bill Milroy who came as an observer.

Judith informed the meeting of the benefits of the sauna to Elie in general as it has proved to be very popular and is bringing people to the village who then spend time and money in our shops, bars and restaurants. She also stressed its value to health and well-being of its users. Concern had been expressed among locals and visitors about its rather sudden and unexpected arrival, its location and its colour. Judith explained that the decision for its location had been agreed with the Harbour Trust and that a retrospective planning application is to be submitted to FC this week. She explained that there is still work to do on its appearance; it will in time feature her branding and she is happy to paint it a more subdued colour. She also explained that there are plans to ‘box in’ the towbar and to put in place a deck at the front. She also assured the meeting that she has no plans to install any further saunas in the village. The CC thanked her for these reassurances and wished her all the best with her enterprise.

Vicky Brown expressed her consternation when she saw men at work on Toll Green pollarding the trees at this time of year when the birds are now nesting. She explained that she spoke to the workmen who agreed to stop their activity having already attended to two of the trees. She explained that it is against the law to carry out such procedures once the birds are nesting. The CC stressed that they had been requesting for years that the trees should be pollarded and had understood that work would be completed by the end of February. It was agreed that pollarding might continue on the trees at the far (east) end of Toll Green where there are no nests yet with the plan to see to the rest in the autumn. Cllr Alycia Hayes agreed to make this request to FC. The CC thanked Vicky for her interest and advice in this matter. *

Concern has been expressed about the new large yellow glass recycling unit which has appeared at Ruby Bay carpark outside the actual recycling area. Not only is it considered unsightly the apertures for bottles are very high and difficult to use. The CC requested that the old glass recycling bins be reinstated within the unit and that all the bins be more frequently emptied during our busy season. Cllr Alycia Hayes agreed to action.

Councillors Updates:

Cllr Alycia Hayes Has been doing her best to investigate the details of our Common Good Fund. At present ours is:

Alycia expressed her horror at the recent dog attack near Muircambus where a small collie suffered a fatal attack by two dogs. It is apparent that these particular dogs have a history of attacking other dogs and horses. The owners have been previously ordered to keep them muzzled and on a lead but it is clear that this instruction is not being obeyed. Alycia is trying to find a way of ensuring that this order is complied with and any further incidents avoided.

Cllr Sean Dillon by email

RAAC in Public Buildings:

• Following developments in England, residents are rightly concerned about the use of RAAC (Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in public buildings. I have spoken with the council’s head of property services who has confirmed that in so far as can be determined, there is no RAAC present in any Fife Council-owned buildings.
• With regards to NHS Fife buildings, I have had the following message from the health board’s director of property and asset management:

Following an initial desk-based survey of NHS buildings across Scotland, parts of some of our buildings were identified as potentially containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their construction. More detailed surveys have recently been carried out to determine whether the material is present in any of the most likely buildings identified and we await the results. These surveys will also determine any requirements in terms of ongoing monitoring or whether any immediate or future remedial action is required.

Pension Credit:

• The council is currently writing to all individuals who may be entitled to Pension Credit, encouraging them to apply. Every year, millions of pounds in benefits go unclaimed in Fife. Anyone over the age of 66 may be entitled and this benefit not only tops up pensions, it also entitles the recipient to a £300 cost of living payment in the autumn.
• To apply, visit our.fife.scot/gethelp/pensioncredit or telephone 0800 952 0330.

Crown Estate Scotland Community Capacity Grants Programme:

• Crown Estate Scotland Community Capacity Grants Programme is currently open to all community groups within five miles of Scotland’s coastline, or one of Crown Estate Scotland’s four rural estates. Early-stage financial support is available for community projects that will contribute to local regeneration and sustainable development. Grants will range between £20,000 and £50,000, with a total of £300,000 being made available in this year of the programme. The deadline for expressions of interest is Monday 25th September 2023 and to register your interest/find out more, please visit: https://www.crownestatescotland.com/news/communities-across-scotland-urged-to-apply-for-ps425-000-funding?fbclid=IwAR1xz2wx6_spdY33Q2P7nycACCcrzf2Yc6Pg51m9CQa3GZYn_w2-Q7cIEQk

Problems facing East Fife Responders

Following concern expressed at last meeting regarding the limited availability of local training Angela has drafted a paper which has been sent to the Scottish Ambulance Service with a copy to Willie Rennie MSP and Wendy Chamberlain MP.

Fife Active Travel

Grizelda and Cath attended an on-line meeting with Sonja Potjewijd on 8^th February.

1. NO proposed cycle path within villages. 

2. Proposed path will start past the entrance to the estate to the east, and will be a shared path with cyclists and walkers, extending to St Monans, Pittenweem and Anstruther.  This will be 3m wide, tarred and lined, with signage. Because this is a 60mph road the proposal is to take the 30mph area from the present position to the end of the estate wall and have signage or some slow down method for reduction of traffic speed. 

3. The Path will go along the north side of main road and because of 60mph road must be 2.5m away from main carriage way. The path will be 3 metres wide and be fenced off from main road. Where it crosses roads and field entrances there will be defined areas and signage. At St Monans, Fife Council are looking at a building a new bridge over the burn and the group have asked for this to contain the cycle route or they will have to build another crossing over the burn. The Path will not go through the villages of St Monans or Pittenweem. 

4. We can undertake to propose things ourselves in the village to access in the village. Create an area that is well signed for parking bikes to keep them off the pavements. Not that children will use them.  

5. One of the proposals (which had been rejected by the CC) was to widen the pavements at the shops but hopefully with our proposal of bollards this might cost less. The group felt we need to improve the outlook in the centre of the village. (don't know why) looks good as it is. I don’t think the proposal to widen the pavement between School Wynd and Rankeillor Street is a bad idea but suspect bollards might be a quicker solution – wider pavement possibility sometime in distant future for pedestrians but not bicycles. 

6.   They suggested that the CC should arrange a feasibility study to try and improve parking in the village. With a park and walk strategy from a field somewhere for visitors. 

7. We have stated no changes to Admiralty Lane, but they wondered if to make it safer for pedestrians we should have signage stating pedestrians have priority.  Same for the Terrace. 

8. Suggestion that Links Road be made a two-way route for cyclists with appropriate signs alerting drivers was rejected by the CC as being too dangerous.  

Toll Green

The memorial bench for Jim Robertson is expected to be in place this week.

The one squint tree and the two diseased ones have been removed. A cherry tree to commemorate the coronation of King Charles II has been planted and the plaque is expected to be in place very soon.

King’s Portrait

It was agreed to accept the Government’s offer of a free official portrait of King Charles II. Angela agreed to make the application which is understood to be rather confusing!

Storm damage to Dunes

Angela to email stuff

Infrastructure repairs and Roads

There is growing concern about the flooding of the electric substation by the phone box and water running down Ferry Road. It has become dangerous as the pavement is now covered with slippy, green slime and water must be seeping into the houses along the road. Bill Milroy was able to update the meeting on the cause of the problem – a broken old clay drain which needs to be urgently attended to by Scottish Water. Once the drain has been repaired the Golf House Club will be happy to ensure any build-up of sand from the golf course is regularly seen to. Alycia agreed to have a word with her contact at SW.

The general ‘to do’ list has been updated and can be seen on the EECC website - https://www.elieandearlsferrycc.org/index.asp?pageid=736142

Plans to close Stenton Row and make Admiralty Lane two way for a week, 20^th – 27^th March was greeted with some concern. It is hoped that the necessary work will not take as long and that lights will be installed to ensure safe use of Admiralty Lane as a two-way road.

It was noted that the signage for the diversions while local roads are being resurfaced have been very confusing and that business in Elie and Earlsferry have suffered considerably as a result. However, it is understood that all will be back to normal by the coming weekend – 9^th March. We do appreciate that work does need to be carried out on the roads but the CC feel that the signage was not helpful to anyone.

Local development Plan

All Scottish CCs have been encouraged to submit a local Development plan and to that end the E&ECC has submitted one which includes a proposal for a raised pavement at the entrances to Elie, which was included in the Charette carried out in 2019 and more recent requests. This can be read in full by going to:

https://www.elieandearlsferrycc.org/index.asp?pageid=736331

Police report

February has seen another busy month with PC’s Wallace and Cook resuming normal community duties carrying out numerous speed points and ASB patrols throughout the ward area.

Contact Information

PC 0333 Robert Wallace and PC 0137 Rob Cook.

Contact your local community team on our email address:

eastneuklandwardCPT@scotland.police.uk  

Please Note, this email address is NOT for reporting a crime or ongoing incidents and due to our shift pattern, is not monitored 24/7 – Please call 101 or 999 if you require a prompt response.

PC’s Cook and Wallace were back at Waid Academy Community Café on Friday 13th February for Coffee with a Cop to answer questions and have a chat with members of the community. We spoke to a number of persons and offered advice covering a range of topics. We would like to pass on our thanks to the Waid Academy community café for allowing us to host our initiative here.

Our next date is Monday 11th March at 10.00am. Please drop by for a coffee and a blether.

Treasurer’s report

Only two more documents to sign and all should be finalised. We are still hoping to receive our annual grant from FC despite being unable to apply due to RBS’s lack of speed setting up new signatories. Our balance stands at £13,839.52 of which nearly £10k belongs to the Playpark fund.

Playpark Update

The Playpark committee have applied to the Common Good Fund for funding, but it is believed that there are not sufficient funds to cover their request.

EAG Update

General

Winter maintenance continues with some leaf-clearing, litter-picking, weeding, sweeping and

painting. Some more seasonal planting has also taken place, including the large feature at the

roundabout at the top of Golf Club Lane, which has been completely replanted.

Several potholes have been reported along with two street lights which required attention.

A memorial tree for Toll Green has now been procured and planting is being arranged.

Projects

• Repair/refurb of Victorian lamps (Church Gates). No change from last update.

• Repair/refurb of Victorian Water Pump. Awaiting clarification on ownership from FC.

Plans for fundraising strategy to pay for restoration (c£20k) in hand.

• Top up Tap – No change from last update.

• Telephone Kiosk – No change from last update.

• Picnic Table replacement – No change from last update.

AOB

Kirsty updated the meeting on plans re Elmwood College:

There are plans to demolish the main building. This houses the animal care unit, support base, library and canteen. There are now talks of the animal care course continuing but on a smaller scale. Courses are possibly set to be taught online with work based aspects being projects out in the community and not so much taught on campus. All courses are likely to be affected in some way and left with minimal facilities on campus. SRUC don't seem to see a need for student support services when we know there are a lot more students and young people who have additional support needs now than ever before. Support could be offered online but students with learning difficulties, mental health issues or someone who may have a troubled home life really need that in person support. There will be no library or canteen as there are no plans to replace the current building with a smaller one. The college wouldn't be so badly under capacity if SRUC hadn't cut so many courses already. Equestrian Studies and Greenkeeping have already gone, the farm has been sold and the golf course is currently for sale. 

Although Elmwood is not exactly local to our villages it does serve our young people and the EECC shares Kirsty’s concern. Support is being sought from Wilie Rennie MSP and Wendy Chamberlain MP among others.

Next meeting Tuesday 2^nd April at 7.30, Earlsferry Town Hall.

* On 6^th March the workmen returned with chainsaws.  Carol spoke to them at 10am and they said that the Wildlife Officer has assessed the work and given them the go ahead to pollard all the trees now except for the ones with nests.  These will be done at a later date.  

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Minutes of Meeting of Elie and Royal Burgh of Earlsferry Community Council held on 6^th February 2024 at Earlsferry Town Hall

Present:  Angela Anderson, Kirsty Barclay, Grizelda Cowan, Cath McIntosh, George Cowan and Carol Birrell, Cllr Alycia Hayes,

Apologies Cllrs Fiona Corps and Sean Dillon

New declarations of interest: None

November minutes: proposed by Carol, seconded by Cath  

The Community Council welcomed Duncan Scott from Waid Academy who updated the meeting on all things Waid related. He listed the following challenges:

• Rural poverty which is very much in evidence in the East Neuk.
• Problems of access to services compared to other parts of Fife.
• School role is projected to drop to half in the next few years. This will lead to a limited curriculum.
• Increase in numbers of pupils with additional support needs.

Mr Scott stressed that it is not all gloom and doom and that he and his staff are working hard to address these challenges. Waid is working closely with SRCU at Elmwood to provide some vocational subjects on line. For more information about Waid Academy go to https://www.waidacademy.org.uk/

Councillors Updates:

Cllr Alycia Hayes

Fife Active Travel - priorities and the draft network proposals via a survey, and by leaving comments on an interactive map. There will also be supporting face to face public engagement events held across Fife. To take part in the consultation, visit: www.fife.gov.uk/activetravel 

From Monday 12 February upholstered furniture must be separated from other items brought to Household Waste Recycling Centres. This follows updated guidance from SEPA on the acceptance, storage and disposal of waste upholstered domestic seating. Upholstered furniture can be taken to any recycling centre except Cowdenbeath, Cupar, Dalgety Bay and St Andrews and must be placed inside the container labelled 'upholstered furniture'. These items should not be placed outside of the container or into any other container. Upholstered furniture can also be booked into the free bulky uplift service: http://www.fife.gov.uk/.../bins-and.../bulky-uplift-service

Voting, democracy and politics can be confusing and language can sometimes be unclear and old-fashioned.  ‘Welcome to your vote’ week is here to help young people get informed and engaged. You will need ID to vote at the coming General Election. If you do not have photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate- you just need a national insurance number and a photo.   Visit fife.gov.uk 

search: “elections and voting”. You can learn more about different type of elections and how to make sure you are registered to vote. There is lots of information at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/.../resources... to help young people feel more confident and knowledgeable about elections, and how to get involved in democracy.

#WelcomeToYourVote

Common Good Accounts will come to Area Committee on February 28th April. 

Cllr Sean Dillon by email

Minor Repairs Update:

Signage & Bus Shelter – The signs at Admiralty Lane, Chapel Green, Cadgers Wynd and Links Road/Earlsferry High Street, and bus shelter should be inspected next week by the council officer.

Sand on South Street/Fountain Road – The street cleansing team will be out within the next few days to assess whether the sand can be swept away or whether a digger will be necessary.

The other listed repairs were reported yesterday, (05/02/2024), and I will update the community council as and when I receive a response.

Water Fountain Funding:

While I am aware that there are ongoing efforts to restore the original Victorian water fountain in the village, I have been made aware of a grant to fund the installation of waterfront water fountains by the marine conservation charity, Sea-Changers. This may be useful if the community council believe there is a need for a water fountain either at the beach or harbour. Further information can be found at https://www.sea-changers.org.uk/coastal-fountain-fund?cid=d7a08823-cf7d-4ddf-af8f-1c357ae2d8a2&fbclid=IwAR2qDr9Njs-HG4mDDn9o-UFV9Zh11BGGESCj3WvLHvE7EEPiJmWhVklpoz8&utm_campaign=4138d8f7-b820-44ab-bb3c-c5ff1d349597&utm_medium=mail&utm_source=so.

Streetlights

There have been several faults with streetlights across the East Neuk and when reported to the council, little has been done to resolve these faults. This is because Scottish Power, who are responsible for the lights, have been having problems with their contractor. I have raised a formal complaint with the organisation, but earlier this month, officers met with representatives of the company who inform them that they have replaced their contractor with a new one and that a review is underway to assess problem areas. The impact of this change will not be felt immediately but it is hoped that over the coming months, streetlights will improve across the ward.

As part of my investigation of this, I have found that across Fife, there are currently 77 streets that have at least one faulty streetlight, 10 of which are in the East Neuk. While Elie and Earlsferry aren’t listed as having any faulty streetlights, if there are any, please do let me know.

Proposed Restricted Parking – Elie High Street:

Following the last community council, I was asked to look into restricting the time vehicles could park in the bays on Elie High Street opposite the church. While officers have informed me that it would be possible to implement this, they would want answers to the following questions before proceeding:

Could you and the CC / residents / shop owners agree to the restrictions they think are suitable?

Is it seasonal? - only for summer months? - do they think this is May-Sept or April-Oct or is it all year round?

Is it 9am - 5pm? is it 7 days a week? Or would all day unrestricted parking be acceptable on a Sunday.

To answer these questions, I would be happy to organise a public meeting with the officer if the community council think it appropriate. Please let me know your thoughts.

Shuttle Bus:

I have received several complaints from residents regarding the shuttle bus service currently in place due to the road closure between Elie & Balchrystie. I have a meeting scheduled with the council officer’s responsible for the service on Thursday and I will report back to the community council any outcomes of the meeting.

Fife Active Travel

Grizelda and Cath agreed to attend two separate meetings – Cath with Sonja Potjewijd and Crispin Hayes to discuss the Elie to Pittenweem Cycle Path Initiative and Grizelda with FC’s Active Travel Strategy and Action Plan Group. Unfortunately, neither materialised as Cath was given the wrong date and Grizelda was denied entry to the FC’s Teams meeting. **

Problems facing East Fife Responders

E&ECC were concerned to learn that East Neuk First Responders who run first aid courses and provide medical care at local events are concerned about their ability to respond to medical emergencies after struggling to access training. They have a team of qualified community first responders who work with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) to provide life-saving care in an emergency. But they have warned they could fold at any time given the problem with accessing local first aid tuition.

Last year volunteers attended 204 emergency calls across the East Neuk while patients waited for an ambulance. Incidents included 14 cardiac arrests. However, the team only has five active first responders, with a further 19 waiting for training.

The East Neuk villages are 40 minutes from the nearest hospital and the first responders are seen as vital. As well as emergency care, they work with Fife Council’s community alarm team to help with falls. They provide medical cover at events and first aid training in schools.

Update from Elie Estate’s planned development

Thanks to Alex Nairn for this recent update:

Provisional terms have been agreed with developers for both Wadeslea and the Grange and it is anticipated that they will submit Reserved Matters applications with Fife Council later this year.

The Wadeslea development is expected to provide 30 affordable houses split between social rented housing, mid-market rented housing and discounted sale with a 'rural housing burden' attached to the title of the property.  More on rural housing burdens below.

The social rented housing will most likely be offered through Kingdom Housing Association and members of the community are encouraged to register their interest directly with Kingdom HA.  The mid-market rented housing and discounted sale houses are to be offered through a new company possibly known as the Elie Affordable Housing Company.  The mid-market rents would track the Local Housing Allowance rates which are published annually by the Scottish Government and can be accessed here.

Rural Housing Burdens are a relatively new concept whereby affordable housing is sold at a discount to what the property is worth with a burden on the title of the property ensuring that the property is the purchaser’s principle place of residence, that the property is not let out and cannot be used as a holiday home.  The rural housing burden obliges the purchaser and any subsequent purchaser to offer the property back to the Elie Affordable Housing Company at the same discount to what it is worth at the time of any future sale.

Feedback from the community would be gladly received over who should be given priority for the affordable housing?  Who should we be trying to attract into our village?  Families with young children, existing residents living in inappropriate accommodation, retirees from the local area, those with a family connection to the area but who are perhaps unable to afford a house in the village?  We could possibly put together a Local Lettings Initiative to give certain people meeting the criteria priority for the affordable housing?  More information on Local Lettings Initiatives can be found here.

To a certain extent who the houses are aimed to provide for will dictate the size of the houses but feedback is also sought on the split between 2 bed, 3 bed and 4 bed affordable houses.

All feedback should be emailed directly to Alex Nairn - alex.nairn@btinternet.com and copied to E&ECC - enquiries@elieandearlsferrycc.org

Toll Green

Update on memorial bench for Jim Robertson:

Carol has liaised with his family and wording for the plaque has been agreed. Carol will order the bench. Fife Council have agreed to pay for the cost of its installation. E&ECC will fund cost of the actual bench.

A cherry tree to commemorate the coronation of King Charles II has been ordered.

FC have assured us that the trees on the Green will be pollarded by March

Infrastructure and Time Limited Parking

It was agreed that a definitive list of all the outstanding work required throughout the village be compiled and passed to FC via Cllr Sean Dillon. This list will be posted on E&ECC website and will be regularly updated.

A request has been sent to FC that there should be time limited parking outside the shops on the south side of the High Street. This would be seasonal only and parking time be limited to maximum of 1 hour.

Lanchen Trust

The CC agreed to publicise that Lanchen Trust offers lifts to senior citizens in coordination with RVS. The poster has been put on E&ECC and Elie and Earlsferry Chat Facebooks

Treasurer’s report

Getting there with new signatories but it is still proving to be a long and complicated process! RBS does not make things easy

Next meeting Tuesday 5^th March at 7.30, Earlsferry Town Hall.

*Subsequently Cath and Grizelda met with Sonja and Crispin on line – bullet points from meeting 08/02/2024 

1. NO proposed cycle path wihinin village. 

2. Proposed path will start past entrance to the entrance of the estate to the east, and will be a shared path with cyclists and walkers, extending to St Monans, Pittenweem and Anstruther.  This will be 3m wide, tarred and lined, with signage. Because this is a 60mph road the proposal is to take the 30mph area from present position to the end of the estate wall and have signage or some slow down method for reduction of traffic speed. 

3. The Path will go along the north side of main road and because of 60mph road must be 2.5 meters away from main carriage way. The path will be 3 metres wide and be fenced off from main road. Where it crosses roads and field entrances there will be defined areas and signage. At St Monans, Fife Council are looking at a building a new bridge over the burn and the group have asked for this to contain the cycle route or they will have to build another crossing over the burn. The Path will not go through the villages of St Monans or Pittenweem. 

4. We can undertake to propose things ourselves in the village to  improve bike access in the village. Create an area that is well signed for parking bikes to keep them off the pavements. Not that children will use them.  

5. One of the proposals (which had been rejected by the CC ) was to widen the pavements at the shops but hopefully with our proposal of bollards this will negate that, and might cost less. The group felt we need to improve the outlook on the centre of the village. (don't know why) looks good as it is. I don’t think the proposal to widen the pavement between School Wynd and Rankeillor Street is a bad idea but suspect bollards might be a quicker solution – wider pavement sometime in distant future. 

6.   They suggested that the CC should arrange a feasibility study to try and improve parking in the village. With a park and walk strategy from a field somewhere for visitors. 

7. We have stated no changes to Admiralty Lane, but they wondered if to make it safer for pedestrians we should have signage stating pedestrians have priority.  Same for the Terrace. 

8. Suggestion that Links Road be made a two way route for cyclists with appropriate signs alerting drivers.  

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Minutes of Meeting of Elie and Royal Burgh of Earlsferry Community Council held on 9^th January 2024 at Earlsferry Town Hall

Present:  Angela Anderson, Kirsty Barclay, Grizelda Cowan, Cath McIntosh, George Cowan and Carol Birrell

Apologies Cllrs Alycia Hayes, Fiona Corps and Sean Dillon

New declarations of interest: None

November minutes: proposed by Cath, seconded by George

Councillors Updates:

Cllr Alycia Hayes by email

Fife Council primary one applications – now open!

If your child turns 5 between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, the application process for enrolling them into P1 is now open. If your child doesn’t turn five until after the school summer term starts you do have the choice to defer for a year.

Applications for P1 must be received by 15 March 2024.

Check out the criteria and apply online www.fife.gov.uk/schooladmissions

Fife Council Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) applications are also now open.

Was your child born between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022?

If yes, ELC funded hours can be accessed through Fife Council nurseries as well as private nurseries, playgroups and childminders working in partnership with Fife Council.

Applications for three- and four-year-old children must be received by 31 January 2024.

Check out the criteria and apply online www.fife.gov.uk/nurseryapplications

If you don’t have access to a smartphone or computer, you can ask the nursery you’d like your child to go to to post out a paper copy of the form. You can use this form to make more than one placing request.

Fife Families Information Service

I also include below some links to sources of funding. Through the year, you may find that there are projects you might aspire to, to improve facilities and opportunities in the area. As we know- everything requires money! Here are some places to look.

The first two have a very close deadline

It's only a small amount, but if you wanted to do something around flooding/ ice etc, it might help:

The National Centre for Resilience currently has two funds open until the end of January, one being aimed at Community Councils - National Centre for Resilience (gla.ac.uk) 

New Scotland-wide community research funding available!

'Healthy Planet, Healthy People' Awards are designed to support healthy environments and healthy
communities. Apply for up to £5,000 to enable your community-led research projects on the following themes:   climate;   nature;   or food.

Deadline: 22 January 2024

Funding & Collaboration - Royal Society of Edinburgh (rse.org.uk) 

https://funding.scot/

https://www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/how-we-help/rural-communities/

https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/news/funding-for-rural-communities/

https://www.fife.gov.uk/kb/docs/articles/council-and-democracy/community-group-support-and-funding/fife-grants

Cllr Sean Dillon by email

Toll Green Trees

I have continued to chase up a date for the pruning of the Toll Green trees, however, I have been informed that this cannot be given at the present time due to the large number of storm damaged trees the arborists are having to deal with. I am told that that it will be carried out during the winter and I will be notified when work is scheduled. 

Crossing at Wadeslea

Following conversations on social media, and in anticipation of tonight’s meeting, I have asked for a speed survey to be carried out at the east entrance to the village. The findings of this will determine whether traffic calming or a crossing are necessary at Wadeslea. Once the speed survey is complete, I will share the results with the community council.

Primary School Applications

If your child turns 5 between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, the application process for enrolling them into P1 is now open and will close on the 15^th of March. If your child doesn’t turn five until after the school summer term starts you do have the choice to defer for a year. For further information and to apply online visit www.fife.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

Flytipping

From New Year’s Day, the amount the council can fine individuals for flytipping was doubled to £500. Despite the introduction of a free bulky uplift service last year to tackle this problem, it is still occurring at a cost of £60 million to taxpayers across Scotland. If you spot anyone flytipping, please report it by visiting fife.gov.uk/illegal dumping or by telephoning 03451 55 00 22.

Questions from members of the public

Following several requests from locals and visitors the CC has agreed to write to East Neuk Trinity Church to request that the clock at Elie Parish church be fixed – it is much missed.

A request has been received that we should ask FC to install a pedestrian crossing to link High Street with access to Woodside.  it was agreed that there is nowhere on the High Street suitable for such a crossing and that the installation of one might, in itself, cause more accidents as it is recognised that drivers often ignore the existing one at the top of Park Place.

Cllr sean Dillon has informed us that there is to be a speed monitoring exercise on roads into Elie.

The CC has received a request that parking outside Newsagents, Appleton’s and Chemist should be time restricted. Carol to look into previous requests for this. It was also requested that, in order to discourage drivers from parking cars with bonnets intruding on to pavement that posts could be installed. The protruding bonnets are making access along the pavement tricky, in particular for wheelchairs, prams and pushchairs.

20 MPH sign, traffic calming measures

Toll Green

FC have informed us that, due to recent storms, there may be some delay in the pruning of the trees and removal of the diseased ones but we have been informed that this will be actioned before the Spring.

It was discussed whether we should consider the installation of a commemorative bench for past CC Chair, Jim Robertson. Carol to action.

A smart meter has been installed at the bus stop in an attempt to lessen the cost of electricity which powers its lights and the defibrillator. Plans also to investigate possibility of installing a timer so that lights at bus stop can be more efficiently regulated.

Infrastructure repairs

The hole outside Baird place has been repaired.

Work on house at the bottom of Boat Wynd has been completed and the owners have given assurance that their builders will make good all damage caused during the building work.

Planning

Objection to application for telegraph posts at 51 High Street Elie, next door to Elie Letting and another opposite the Manse at 30 Bank Street, dated 4/12/23 and lodged by GoFibre Holding Ltd. has been lodged with Planning Department, FC.

Place Plan

The CC has been asked to put together a Local Place Plan to include requests from the community. It was agreed that the main points from the Charette, ‘Going Forth’ conducted in 2019, should be included plus the more recent requests re infrastructure which were summarised in the November minutes:

• Attention should be paid to the Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Initiative - https://ruralhousingscotland.org/
• Designated time restricted parking spaces in front of shops in Elie High Street.

• Provision of an accessible pavement in Elie High Street. Currently, cars frequently park in such a way outside the shops on the south side of Elie High St, that the bonnet of the car encroaches onto the pavement, thus restricting access along the pavement.
• A STOP or, at least, Give Way sign should be placed at the bottom of School Wynd.
• A full Traffic management Plan is once again requested from Fife Council.
• A 20 MPH limit should be imposed throughout the village and placement of some kind of traffic calming installations.
• Provision of extra parking areas should be investigated. Enlarging the car park at Ruby Bay has been suggested but there is concern that such action will only increase the number of camper vans.

Play Park

No update. CC member Kirsty now represents CC on the Play Park committee.

Treasurer’s report

Getting there with new signatories but it is proving to be a long and complicated process!

Police Report

Throughout December, PC’s Wallace and Cook, along with other Community Officers have taken to the roads in North East Fife, and beyond with their colleagues from Road Policing to reinforce the message that ‘the best approach is none.’ Reminding motorists that even if you are slightly over the limit, in the eyes of the law you are a drunk-driver and a criminal.

As a result, hundreds of drivers were stopped for driving vehicles with defective lighting, those not driving to the road/weather conditions, driving over the speed limit and overweight loads. Persons were issued with a warning or via police direct measures. Drivers were also breathalysed where all motorists stopped during our joint patrols were found to be under the drink drive limit.

Speed checks were also conducted at the entrance to St Monans where the new houses have necessitated need for an extra 30 MPH stretch.

Next meeting Tuesday 6^th February at 7.30, Earlsferry Town Hall.