By Craig Smith

AN AMBITIOUS vision to provide sports facilities across Fife has been set out in a draft strategy by Fife Council.

The Fife Sports Facilities Strategy looks at how the region can build on the £50 million earmarked for refurbishing Carnegie Leisure Centre in Dunfermline and replacing both the Fife Institute in Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy Swimming Pool. With their upgrade already in the pipeline, the strategy estimates an extra £12 million will be required to develop the remaining network of sports facilities over 10 years.

Limited funding could be available from the Scottish Govern-ment, sportscotland and the SFA, but the strategy urges the council to set aside £1.5 million more to improve pitches and pavilions.

In a report to the housing and communities committee this week, Steve Grimmond, head of community services, said the strategy covered a wide range of exciting options for Fife’s leisure facilities in the future.

Of the £12 million needed to improve facilities, it is estimated that £965,000 is needed soon for essential repairs and maintenance at several venues. As well as the repair work highlighted, the programme of short to medium-term options also includes:

*Improved access and upgrade of health and fitness provision at Bowhill Pool;

*Provision of an outdoor multi-use games area at the Beacon Leisure Centre, Burntisland:

*Additional gym equipment at Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre and Dalgety Bay Sports and Leisure Centres;

*User and non-user surveys to be conducted at Waterstone Crook Leisure Centre.

For two other venues needing repair, Cupar Sports Centre and East Sands Leisure Centre, St Andrews, the suggestion is a more cost-effective replacement should be investigated before repair costs are incurred.

It suggests replacing Cupar Sports Centre with a modern community campus provided jointly by the council and Elmwood College, while East Sands Leisure Centre could possibly be replaced by a combined facility with Madras College and/or St Andrews University.

Levenmouth Swimming Pool and Sports Centre is also detailed in the strategy, with repairs and maintenance put at £65,000.

In terms of the investment required to develop sports pitches and pavilions, Kirkcaldy is identified as the area in most need, with an estimated £400,000 needed to mainly develop pitches there, closely followed by North East Fife, Dunfermline, Glenrothes, Cowdenbeath, Levenmouth and south west Fife in that order in terms of cash required.

The report also revealed that Glenrothes, which will require around £215,000, has been identified by the SFA as a potential “community hub” for football— with the council stressing it would support such development at the Fife Institute.

“This would provide high quality football facilities for central and east Fife, while a sister ‘hub’ at Pitreavie Playing Fields would provide similar facilities for west Fife,” the report notes.

The strategy will now be the subject of consultation with a range of key stakeholders, including local sports councils, national governing bodies of sport and the council’s seven area committees.

Committee vice-chairman Donald McGregor added that other interested groups would be welcome to submit their views as well. “The sports trust obviously wants to improve facilities everywhere but it’s important to remember that athletes are not stuck in their own town or village,” he said.

“They need to have different levels of facility available to them, so we want to provide them with a range of facilities to suit.

“Obviously we can’t fund everything people in different areas are asking for, but participation in the debate is what we’re looking for.”

Councillors will be asked to formally approve the strategy later this year once comments have been received.