The St Andrews group converting neglected ground connected to Mary Queen of Scots into a community garden has embarked on the next stage in its ambitious plans.
The site, in the centre of the ancient Royal Burgh, had been gifted to the town by the tragic monarch, is the area of the medieval Greyfriars monastery.
It has lain derelict for more than two decades and has become an eyesore in the heart of the conservation area and has drawn anti-social behaviour.
Having successfully had its community right to buy application registered by the Scottish Government, the next stage in the process is a poll of members of the immediate community to find out if they support the proposal.
Residents registered to vote for local elections who live in postcodes in the neighbourhood of the neglected ground at the corner of Greyfriars Garden and St Mary’s Place have received voting papers from the Electoral Reform Society.
Poets’ Neuk, the community organisation behind the scheme, is urging those receiving papers to vote in favour of the imaginative proposal.
Graham Wynd, chairman of the group, said he has been greatly encouraged by the enthusiasm which has been generated by this proposal.
He is looking forward to this being translated into an “overwhelming number of votes” for the establishment of the community garden.
The group said the garden, when finished, will be an asset for all townspeople and visitors alike.
Its facilities will be designed to be accessible to everyone, including adults and children with sensory impairments.
Poets’ Neuk have recently produced a 3D visualisation of the completed garden.
Voting papers should be posted back to the Electoral Reform Society no later than May 16 to meet the deadline for the poll.
Further information on the area covered by the poll, and details of the project can be obtained from Johnalan Hair Design, 2 Greyfriars Garden, and Topping and Company Booksellers, 7 Greyfriars Garden, and at the St Andrews Preservation Trust, 4 Queens Gardens.
