Relief as cash finally pledged to save Craigtoun Park’s Dutch Village from ruin

Work to halt the decay of an iconic Fife visitor attraction will finally begin after six years of neglect.

Fife Council’s Labour administration is pledging £250,000 for urgent repairs to the Dutch Village at Craigtoun Country Park, which is now at risk due to severe decay.

The money is earmarked in the 2024-25 budget to be set by councillors on Thursday.

And with cross-party support, it is sure to receive the green light.

The windfall can’t come soon enough for campaigners who feared the St Andrews favourite would become “a sad ruin and an eyesore”.

Henry Paul, of Friends of Craigtoun Park, which runs the attraction, said: “I’m really positive because it will arrest the deterioration of the Dutch Village.

“However, the only reason it’s in this state is because Fife Council have failed to carry out any maintenance over the last six years.”

Dutch Village damage ‘could have been prevented’

Mr Paul says the upkeep stopped following the withdrawal of the park’s permanent gardening staff.

“They used to remove any saplings growing in walls and stopped damage occurring,” he said.

“To be fair, Covid didn’t help. But even post Covid, there’s been no attempt to do any maintenance.

“So yes, we’re very pleased they’re doing it but it’s a shame we’re having to spend this amount of money when it could have been prevented had Fife Council engaged earlier.”

St Andrews SNP councillor Ann Verner is excited that the Dutch Village repairs will finally get under way.

“This money will make a good start to the renovations,” she said.

“I’m sure many people like me will have fond memories of visiting the park itself, but the prospect of a visit to an upgraded Dutch Village will be the icing on the cake.”

Tree roots growing through stone work

Built in the 1920s, the Dutch Village was a huge draw for families for many decades.

The summer house, ice cream booth and cafe sit in the middle of the Craigtoun boating lake.

But they closed 24 years ago due to dangerous roof tiles and have since fallen into decay.

Pictures taken by Courier photographer Steve Brown last month show the extent of the damage.

Tree roots are growing through the stonework and large cracks have appeared on the render.

Many pantiles are cracked or missing, allowing water to pour in.

And there are substantial areas of missing harl, exposing brick work.