A Fife Council plan to force owners to spruce up dilapidated properties has been branded inadequare.
Councillor Tom Adams, chairman of Levenmouth Area Committee, said the clampdown on people who allowed buildings to fall into disrepair did not go far enough.
Mr Adams’ comments came as the committee discussed a paper on a new zero tolerance approach to derelict properties. The clampdown is being rolled out across Fife, with a number of buildings already identified across Levenmouth and Cowdenbeath.
In Leven, the campaign focuses on North Street, with the former Three Ways Inn, Ambassador Snooker Club and the former gas showroom all singled out as needing attention.
Other properties under the spotlight include the gasometer site in Leven and the former Stuart’s Bakery and Denbeath Parish Church in Buckhaven. Cowdenbeath properties being looked at are the Crown Hotel, Premier Bingo and the Garage.
The council is concerned about the impact the dilapidated buildings have on local people and other businesses.
The new policy means that, where possible, the local authority will work with the owners of buildings who are looking for a solution but don’t know where to turn.
Mr Adams said: “In reality, this is pretty toothless. We are going in and asking owners to do something. If we are going to do something about these buildings, we need to put some decent resource in and follow it up, not just talk to people.”
He added: “It’s a worthwhile paper but it needs to go further.”
Councillor Lesley Laird, executive member for business, enterprise, economy and planning, explained: “What we are doing here in Fife is asking our area committees, in particular Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy and Levenmouth, where these issues are most acute, to bring forward the top two or three dilapidated properties in their areas so we can get a more realistic view on the scale of the problem and what level of support and funding might be required.
“Tackling this issue is linked to regeneration of our town centres and villages and local people and businesses are quite rightly fed up with these eyesore properties.
“However, at a time of ongoing budget cuts, we have to develop an approach to tackling this issue that is not an unfair burden and risk on council finances.”