Road to close because of lorry damage

The Courier, 19 July 2000

A Fife councillor has strongly criticised the local authority as controversy over heavy goods vehicle movements at the £50 million resort development at Kingask has once more surfaced.

It was revealed yesterday that Fife Council is closing the rural Q16 road between Grange Road and Dunino because of damage caused by construction lorries.

Yesterday local councillor Peter Douglas was highly critical of both the council and the St Andrews Bay Development, saying he had "no faith in the ability of the council to deal with the situation".

He also said that although work had been going on for months, the most recent information he had been given suggested that a detailed and revised legal agreement drawn up between the council and the developers to deal with the issue had not yet been signed.

Concern has also been expressed by the chairwoman of the council's East Area development committee, Frances Melville. There has already been considerable controversy over breaches of a legal agreement relating to lorry numbers and movements, and a few months ago Fife Council came within days of raising a court action against the developers.

Mr Douglas said the Kingask developers had "steadfastly broken" agreements on how roads should be used.

"I opposed the use of these country roads because I felt they were not capable of taking the volume of traffic involved but was outvoted by a central committee," he said.

"It has now been firmly proven that I was right and the council is having to close the Q16. It has already been repaired with some of the costs met by the developers and there has been a lot of new damage. Now a weight restriction might have to be imposed for an unspecified time."

He added, "I now understand that the developers are not prepared to enter into any more staged payment arrangements and that they are not accepting that any extraordinary expenses have been incurred, by the council."

He added that local farmers and other people who needed to use the roads were clearly being penalised but it seemed that the council was unable or unwilling to take action.

"About a month ago I was told by a leading member of the administration, Councillor Bill Kay, and by top legal official Harry Tait, that the matter would have to go to court but nothing has happened."

Councillor Melville said yesterday that there had been a "serious and lengthy discussion" about the issue at the last Kingask liaison meeting and that Councillor Kay, who had been in the chair, had firmly put the council's position to the developers. She said she was pleased that action was to be taken to close the road, repair it and then impose a weight restriction.

Planning spokesperson Councillor Kay said, "Far from taking no action as Councillor Douglas suggests, the road will be closed until Friday July 14 when a weight restriction order will be imposed. Repairs will be carried out as soon as possible thereafter. Notice has today been issued to the developer that the council will be seeking full recovery of all costs involved."