By Cheryl Wood

COUNCILLORS HAVE been urged not to betray Cupar when they they are asked to agree the finalised Fife Structure Plan tomorrow.

Fife Council’s development services head, Keith Winter, has recommended modifications to the region’s structure plan, which will see the number of new houses over the next decade reduced from 35,200 to 31,640.

However, campaign group CARD— Cupar Against Rural Development— has also called for the removal from the plan of Cupar north as a strategic land allocation.

The Cupar north development would see 1200 new houses and a relief road built.

But there is strong opposition to the concentration of all the town’s new housing in one area and the intention that the bypass will be constructed by a private consortium of developers.

In an open letter to councillors, CARD said, “Cupar north is a development option to which the local area committee, the three local councillors, the community council and the community itself are opposed.

“Why and with what justification would the rest of the council ignore these views?”

An attempt to remove reference to the relief road from the structure plan failed at the meeting of the planning committee last Tuesday.

CARD’s letter to councillors says, “This is a plea for the future of a town, a request for support and not betrayal.

“The objections are not ‘nimbyism.’

“This is a clear voice accepting the need for growth, for improving the town’s centre and its infrastructure, for solving its traffic problems whilst retaining its character as a good place to live.

“It is saying ‘no’ to the commitment now, to an option for which there is no business plan to show it works, which excludes any significant other housing development in the town and surrounding communities and which is solely founded on the developers being in a position to pay for a bypass and all the other infrastructure the town will need.”

The group said the proposals need consideration through the local plan and possibly a public inquiry.

After revelations this month of proposals for transport improvements in the town, including a roundabout at the war memorial and traffic signal reconfiguration, it also questioned the need for a relief road.

CARD said, “Only now are other potential solutions to the traffic issues on all routes through the town emerging, together with ideas to revitalise the centre.

“Our local politicians want the freedom to look at the development of Cupar and other communities as a whole.

“It would be a sad day if the trust on those opposed Cupar north before the election and expensively established a new administration based on communities were to be betrayed.”