Coastal path work to start

The Citizen, 15 December 2000

Concerns over the part of the Coastal Path, which runs from Boarhills to St Andrews, has prompted the town’s Community Council to call for urgent action.

And the good news is that remedial work is due to start shortly, either before or after Christmas.

Members have been particularly worried about the condition of the notorious sinking footpath near the Kinkell Braes Caravan Site.

Previously, Community Councillor Archie Strachan had warned that ramblers were being put in danger by the poor conditions of the pathway.

In a letter to Fife Council Environment and Development Service and Scottish Enterprise Fife, Community Council Secretary, Pete Lindsay, called for the path to be repaired and upgraded.

He told how a Community Council member who recently walked the path described it as “badly overgrown in many parts, swampy in others and, indeed, dangerous at places where the cliff top path had eroded.”

Mr Lindsay continued: “The landslip at the east end of the caravan site, which has caused serious subsidence and damage to the path, requires either considerable repair and containment or the re-routing of the path.

“Further, it should also be noted that the heavily-used public footpath from the East Sands to the caravan site is in a disgraceful condition and requires major upgrading.”

However, Fife Council’s Community Services Team Leader for the East Area, Jim Hooton, revealed that work was due to begin shortly to address both of these problems.

He explained: “We have just received approval for the repositioning of the protective fence at the landslide area of the path, near Kinkell Braes Caravan Site

“The instructions have gone out and we hope to have it erected either before Christmas or immediately after.

“Regarding the state of the path from the caravan site to the East Sands Leisure Centre, we have been getting estimates from contractors as to the the cost of tarmacing the whole of this stretch, and we also plan to widen it to a metre in width.

“Hopefully, this will be finished before March.” The Coastal Path will eventually run from the Forth and Tay Bridges and, to date, has progressed as far north as Crail.

Following recent agreement with local landowners, Fife Council’s Community Services Service Manager, Chris Broome, said that “significant progress” had been made, which included the rerouting of the path past the landslip area at Kinkell Braes.

“Work to reinstate the path north of Crail is already under way on some stretches, and we hope that the path from Crail to St Andrews will be fully open by the summer.”

However, he warned: “Until the path is reinstated, we would advise people to take great care on the stretch beyond Crail as it could be unsafe.

“There are signs in place at certain points warning people about this.”