Locals have hit out after a permanent metal frame was installed outside Inverkeithing Old Town House – blocking the pavement.
The frame appeared outside the building, which is undergoing a £475,000 refurbishment, this week.
It is thought the frame will act as a doorstop to the main access area as well as having signage attached to it.
However, it has now rendered the narrow pavement – thought to have been in use since the 1700s – impassable, forcing those using wheelchairs and prams onto the road.
Resident Kevin Forsyth described the new obstruction as “ridiculous and planning gone mad”.
He told The Courier: “It’s utterly ridiculous.
“Who in their right mind has designed that and who has then seen fit to sign it off and get it installed?
“I’m all for the building getting brought back into use but this is planning gone mad.”
Metal frame makes Inverkeithing pavement ‘impassable’
Fellow local Jane Fraser is similarly unimpressed.
She said: “It’s madness and has made the pavement completely impassable.
“How is anyone in a wheelchair or mobility scooter, or parent with a children’s buggy, expected to use the pavement now?”
Several others have taken to social media to complain about the blockage.
Inverkeithing councillor David Barratt says he has contacted council officials and Fife Historic Buildings Trust asking for the obstacle to be removed.
He said: “The decision to install the frame now, thus blocking off the pavement, is certainly a strange one.
“I understand that the pavement is to be widened but because of tendering issues, a date for that has not yet been set.
“There should also have been some pedestrian diversion and footpath closed signs and also some bollards put in place.”
Work to transform the once vacant A-listed building into a community hub began in 2022.
One of the main requirements was to install a lift to aid those with disabilities due to the building not having wheelchair access.
‘This is a temporary arrangement’
A spokesperson for Fife Historic Buildings Trust said: “The contractors are still finishing work in this area.
“This is a temporary arrangement.
“Fife Council are planning works to widen the pavement here – due to be on site soon.
“Once this is complete, we can get the building open, and we’re looking forward to welcoming people inside.”
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