Meeting held on 22 November 2004 at Kingsbarns Village Hall

Present: Joyce Taylor, Peter Erskine, CUr. Peter Douglas, Geoff Lang and 16 village Residents.

Joyce Taylor, in the Chair, welcomed all to the first meeting of the recently formed Community Council and referred those present to the Agenda and the Minutes of the past two Meetings. The Secretary apologised that these documents had not been circulated earlier - in future his aim would be to have Minutes completed and posted at the PO within ten days following each Meeting, so that everyone had ample time to read them. He also agreed to have several copies made available for distribution behind the counter at the PO in future, to which Len & Sandra were agreeable.

Apologies: from Charlotte Kirby who was attending a meeting in St Andrews regarding Schooling in Fife, which could clearly have an impact on our own village school. Charlotte will report back to us at the next Meeting.

Minutes of July 5th: Proposed for adoption by Huw, seconded by Kate.

Minutes of October 28th: Proposed for adoption by Dorothy, seconded by Peter.

Matters Arising:

Morton of Pitmilly - In the July 5th Minutes Point 2F, reference was made to safety at the Pitmilly entrance. Cllr Douglas reported that the trees (planted under Grant ) were to stay and therefore the entrance was to remain as is. Scott remains concerned about the safety implications.

Bus Shelter - Cllr Douglas reported that repairs to the seat were under way.

Small strip of land at North Quarter Steading - Since this matter was initially raised it would appear that the local Council had strimined and made tidy. Goldcrest Developers had been contacted and asked to attend to the maintenance of this area, with no response. The meeting was reminded that at some point a style was proposed for that area. Peter’s view was that shrubs should be planted there to improve the appearance of the site. Raymond endorsed this proposal and Cllr Douglas felt that monies may be available to do this from Fife Rural Partnership in Cupar (Tel. 412255 ). The Chair concluded that before approaching the FRP, the Council will make a final approach to Goldcrest.

Potholes etc. - In the July 5th Minutes Point 2E, reference had been made to the condition of village roads. This was still of concern despite Council efforts at “patching-up”. The situation was worsened by poor pavements and poor cambering in some places. Cur Douglas suggested that we invite someone from Fife Council Transportation Dept. in Cupar, to one of our future Meetings so that we could explain the situation to them personally.

Bus Shelter: On School-side. The building was continually in a disgusting state. Clare felt it should be replaced. Cllr Douglas suggested a heavy-duty perspex structure such as those at St Andrews Bay, as they are current issue and more vandal-proof. Peter felt that this design option was unacceptable. The topic broadened to the poor state of that entire corner of the village, centered around a dishevelled barn owned by the Lairds, the roof of which was becoming hazardous.

The Chair asked for consensus; in short it was felt that since Fife Council Transportation Dept. were responsible both for Bus Shelters as well as Roads, we should tackle both issues with them face-to-face when they attended a future Council Meeting.

Len added that there existed a wider issue of persistent petty vandalism in the village such as had occured two nights earlier when a stretch of pavement by the bus-stop was deliberately iced-over.

Cllr Douglas said that vandalism was rife throughout small commtmities and by comparison was small in Kingsbarns. Marjorie put forward the idea of a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme (minuted back in 1999! ) and Len favoured writing openly to the parents of the culprits. In any event it is a persistent issue and it was felt that a Community Policeman should be invited to a future Meeting and that such person should be on Private Cell-Phone contact when required. Peter felt that the PC’s Cell # should be posted up in the PO.

Finally, the meeting was alerted to an immediate potential problem with the lock on the pump padlock which The Chair said would be dealt with promptly.

Damage to Tree: Clare reported that this tree would be replaced in the Spring.

Future of Kingsbarns The Chair invited Huw to report. He summarised the Sub-Committee’s original remit of May 26th which was seven-fold; Consider a 20-year future time scale / Gather information so as to be in a position to discuss relevant Development issues / Consider development scenarios in light of guidance drawn from Fife Council’s Plans and our own CC wishes / Create criteria to help us evaluate any development proposals / Seek input from local stakeholders viz. Church, Shop, Pub / Keep local Residents properly informed / Report back to the CC.

Initial discussions had then taken place with Fife Council Planning from which it was apparent that Fife Planning viewed Kingsbarns as a Development Area. Huw reported that the sub-committee would continue their work and would aim to start full local consultation after March 2005, as Fife had informed the Sub-Committee that assistance with consultation would be provided after March, when specific submissions for development had been made.

The Chair outlined certain events which were relevant, namely; Jan 8th Fife Council are due to complete their draft of the East Fife Local Plan / Jan 10th our next scheduled Community Council Meeting / Jan 11th a Fife Council Planning Meeting in Cupar to which Members of the Public were invited / Ongoing local Consultation allowing Fife Council to complete their final Draft by end March. Therefore the Chair felt that our CC Meetings of Jan 10th and March 7th were well timed to dovetail into the overall process (see attached Sheet).

Cllr Douglas advised the audience that until Fife Council had clarified the meaning of a village being “ an area for potential development” and the implications arising from this definition, we should not be unduly alarmed as Fife Council’s views are not yet fully formed. Raymond was concerned that the previous CC’s haste to pursue development opportunities had actually jeopardised our Conservation status. Peter disagreed with this view. Cllr Douglas reiterated that there were many steps to go before anything was decided by Fife Council and there would be many formal opportunities for personal input and comment. He cited a development proposal at Brownliills as an example where Fife Planning’s enthusiasm was overruled by local opinion. Equally, he cited many examples of local communities dying away as a result of their stubborn refusal to grow and develop. He advised therefore that what we must do is to ensure that we have an active hand in ”shaping our Village’s future“ so that it grows in a way which we, the Community, finds broadly acceptable. The Chair then commented that it was very much the role of the Community Council, together with the Sub-Committee, to lead the way in consultation and information gathering to ensure that Kingsbarns is in a position to shape it’s future. The Chair added that she felt it inappropriate that Huw be Chairman of the Sub-Committee while she Chaired the Community Council, and she therefore invited volunteers for this key role, to contact her. Huw voiced his willingness to continue to serve the Sub-Committee in the role of Secretary if so wished. The Chair concluded in insisting that by March the Sub-Committee should have concluded it’s work. On behalf of the Sub-Committee Huw commented that by January 10th, as a first step, they will have drawn up a profile of the village, plus an architectural profile to define where we are & what we are today. Peter commented that in all likelihood Fife Council would seek to ring-fence certain geographic areas for development. As principle landowner he is fervent in his wish that the Community be involved in the development of the village and added that as for specifics he personally would like to see Sheltered Housing, Housing for the Elderly, Affordable Housing and a Nursing Home added to the village. The Chair concluded discussions on this topic by urging that rapid local Consultation should commence immediately after January 10th.

A O B: The Chair invited names for 2 more Members to join the Community Council, so as to ensure there was full representation throughout the village. The Chair also urged greater use of the “Kingsbarnslinks.com” web-site which was a great asset to us. Clare raised the topic of Community Council Seminars being held by Fife Council and promised to circulate details, as well as a circular from Digital Fife.

The Chair closed her first Meeting by encouraging increasing levels of personal commitment and involvement in the activities of the village and the debates which were key to our future as residents of Kingsbarns. Applause followed.

Next Meeting Monday January 10th 61) at 7.30 p.m. in the Community Hall.

Additional Information appended to minutes

Kingsbarns Community Council

East Fife Local Plan.

(1) The Planning process is managed by Fife Development Services. The Officer concerned with Kingsbarns is Karen Black (01334 412798).

(2) The Draft Local Plan for East Fife will go to the East Area Development Committee on January 11 2005. This meeting is open to the public and will take place at County Hall in Cupar at 2.00 pm. Papers for the meeting will be on public view three days in advance at County Hall [and on the Fife Council website - Commottee Meetings - East Area Development Committee]. Cllr P. Douglas is a member of the Committee. The meeting will consider submissions that have been made in relation to specific sites for potential development. These are not planning applications. The status of Kingsbarns is as an area for potential development.

(3) The next version of the Local Plan will be produced by the end of Feb or the beginning of March 2005. There will be a web-based version of the Plan. Formal Consultations on the plan will take place. No dates or formats have been agreed for these. At these consultations ‘Comment Forms’ will be available for objections to be made to Development Services.

(4) Development Services will make resources available for localities to undertake consultation procedures providing submissions for development have been made.

(5) A final Plan will be produced by the end of 2005. At this time submissions will have been received for development. Objections can be formally made. If these go forward then Fife request a Reporter from the Scottish Office to Chair a Public Enquiry.