By Bruce Fegen

THE CONSULTATION exercise on the proposed reduction in the number of houses needed in Fife over the next 20 years starts today.

Councillors last week gave the green light to a reappraisal of housing needs contained in the finalised Fife structure plan and, if approved, this would see 4270 fewer homes built in the kingdom over the next two decades than was at first envisaged (see details below).

The consultation period will run for eight weeks until October 12 and there will be a series of informal drop-in events across Fife during September for people to view the consultation paper and talk to staff.

They are being held at the following locations between 2-8 pm:

Dunfermline (City Chambers)—Wednesday, September 5 and Wednesday 19; St Andrews (Boys Brigade Hall)—Thursday 6; Glenrothes (Rothes Halls)—Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 26; Kirkcaldy (Town House)—Tuesday 11 and Monday 24; Leven (old tourist information office)—Wednesday 12 and Thursday 20; and Inverkeithing—Wednesday 12; Tayport (Dolphin Community Centre)—Thursday 13; Oakley (community centre)—Monday 17; Cupar (Corn Exchange)—Tuesday 18; Kelty (community centre)—Monday 24; Lochgelly (Lochgelly Centre)—Tuesday 24.

The documents will also be available in development services offices in Cupar, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Glenrothes, local services centres and libraries as well as online at www.fife-direct.org.uk/structureplan or www.fifedirect.org.uk/haveyoursay.

When the council submitted the finalised structure plan to ministers in June 2006, the housing land requirement was based on an anticipated 5% population growth.

However, new household projections show that the decline in the average number of people living in one house isn’t as great as originally estimated, meaning that while the population in Fife will continue to grow, fewer houses will be needed to accommodate everyone.

The reappraisal document which forms the basis of the consultation shows exactly where the numbers of houses will be reduced. This has been done by varying the 5% population increase over different housing market areas of Fife instead of having a standard increase across all of the kingdom.

As a result of the reappraisal, the council has also carried out a strategic environmental assessment and the results of this also form part of the consultation process.

Once the exercise is completed, a report will go the planning committee on December 11 and full council on December 20 before being submitted to ministers.

Planning committee chair John Beare said, “As ministers haven’t come to a decision yet on the structure plan, we have an opportunity to review and take account of the impact of changing household projections on the plan’s housing requirement and any other impact this may have on other parts of the plan like transport and education.

“Ministers have already agreed to this review and with the council’s approval today for consultation, communities across Fife who have wholeheartedly entered into previous consultations and helped shaped the finalised plan have the opportunity to do so again.”

He added, “There is no need for you to resubmit your comments if you have already sent them to Scottish ministers as these are still valid, but if you wish to submit new comments on this reappraisal I would encourage you to get involved and give us your views.”

The revised figures are as follows:

Dunfermline SW/W/N 3800 (down from 4550), Kirkcaldy East 2000 (2500), Lochgelly 1300 (1700), Cupar North 1200 (1450), Glenrothes East/Markinch 1000 (1300), Kirkcaldy South West 1000 (1200), Levenmouth 700 (1200), St Andrews West 1000 (1200), Inverkeithing Bay 400 (900), East Neuk settlements 500 (500) Tay Bridgehead 450 (500), West villages 400 (500), Leuchars/Guardbridge 400 (400), Burntisland 300 (350), Kelty/ Lochore/Ballingry 300 (300).

Consideration will be given through the local plan to the appropriate level of new housing below 300 units.