News

Great news! It’s been a long wait but now we’ve heard at last that KCLA has been granted the right to register an interest in buying all of the plots of land around Kinghorn Loch that over 600 people signed up for last year.

This means that Kinghorn people will have first refusal on any of the plots whenever an owner chooses to sell. The Scottish Executive has endorsed the community’s aspirations and has given us all a chance to have a say in the future management of the area that means so much to everyone.

The next step is to arrange for a two-stage feasibility study to be carried out. We have already been awarded a grant towards this from Fife Council and we are presently submitting applications to other funding bodies. We are drawing up a shortlist of consultants who will submit tenders for the work. In the submissions to the Scottish Executive we outlined some possible uses of the land areas and properties. A feasibility study will look in detail at these ideas and more and will present a guide to what is practicable, considering that each plot, whenever it might become available, must stand on its own merit.

A major part of the initial exercise will be to consult widely again with all interested parties in and around Kinghorn – the Community Council, other community groups and individuals. The second stage will include, for example, environmental and ecological appraisals of sites and the area as a whole; surveys, site investigations and land valuations; land management options;  Market research and appraisal for potential uses of specific sites; legal services, risk management and financial and funding strategies.

Our website continues to carry all the latest news, while newsletters like this and posters will be published regularly. We’ll be attending the Ecology Centre’s Summer Festival again on August 19 – come to our stand for fun and games, as well as a chance to talk about your ideas for the area in the future. Then in September we’ll be holding the Association’s AGM, when members will discuss plans for the next stages and will elect members of the board. Over 100 people are members already; why don’t you join too? It’s free, and it’s an opportunity to be part of an exciting venture looking ahead to the future of Kinghorn’s next generation.