Council engineers have been working to prevent further flooding at Halbeath – but residents fear it is only a temporary fix.
At the end of last year, as Fifers prepared for Hogmanay on December 30, Halbeath retail park saw flooding like never before.
Flood water submerged cars. Fire fighters carried shoppers to safety.
Just days later, flooding hit Halbeath again.
On January 14, yet more flooding.
Blocked grill or wider problem?
A Fife Council spokesperson confirmed engineers had been out to the scene with the aim of remedying the problem.
She said a blocked grill in the SUDS pond at the retail park was causing floodwater to overflow.
Staff had started work to clear the grill and remove the debris causing the blockage.
However, members of Halbeath and Duloch Community Council are not convinced it will remove the flood risk.
Bryce Goodall from the community council said: “The SUDS pond itself has basically got issues with the build up of silt and rubbish.
“That’s caused the pond to back up.”
He has called for the site owners, Royal London, to step in and take action.
Bryce said he would like to see them “fully repair” the pond.
He has suggested dredging the pond as a potential solution.
“Once you dig down and take the silt away, there’s going to be plenty space for water.”
A spokesperson for Royal London did not offer a comment, other than to say they were “investigating the issues”.
Could further development make Halbeath flooding worse?
Fife Council approved plans for nine new shop units at the site back in 2017.
However, despite promises of a new Lidl and Marks and Spencer Foodhall, work has yet to start.
In May last year, the council granted an extension under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020.
This permission is due to lapse at the end of March.
Bryce says there is concern among local residents about the plans.
“We are collectively concerned that the expansion of Halbeath…is going to aggravate the situation further.”
He added: “As a community we’re angry and we’re frustrated.”
Conversation