Business owners in Cupar who have expressed strong concern over the effect of town centre demolition work want to bring in their own structural engineer to assess the way Fife Council has organised the work.
The chairman of the Association of Businesses in Cupar and District, Jim Hair, also hit out over delay in the possible removal of charges in the Bonnygate car park during the £300,000 project.
The work, which has created a number of diversions and disrupted town centre traffic, was scheduled to take 15 weeks from March 29, although the figure has now been revised down to around 12 weeks.
Local traders feel the project could have been completed faster and better, however, and ABCD members and other local businesses have been asked to contribute to the cost of bringing in an independent structural engineer.
Mr Hair said an engineer had been identified and the council had agreed to allow access to the site.
“The engineer has been asked if the present working arrangement represents the quickest and most efficient method of demolishing this building, and to assist we have also asked for copies of the council work programme and method statement,” Mr Hair said.
He added that there was a view that the whole situation needed to be subject to an independent inquiry after the event. This, he said, should look at the tendering process, how the current situation was arrived at and how the work programme was agreed.
“No one believes 15 weeks was needed for this. It seems grossly excessive.
“The working hours are supposed to be seven till seven six days a week, but it appears that those hours are not being worked, and it is clear the council has no power to enforce the hours,” said Mr Hair.
A suggestion was also made at last week’s meeting with the council that charges should be temporarily removed from the Bonnygate car park.
At first there were encouraging noises from the council, but now it appears to be dragging its heels over the issue.
Mr Hair said he had been pressing for a decision, but the feeling in the council was first of all that people might “abuse it” and stay for more than two hours.