FIFE COUNCIL
Leven, Kennoway and Largo,
Buckhaven Methil and Wemyss
Villages Local Area Committee
20 June 2007
Agenda Item No
LEVENMOUTH REGENERATION INITIATIVE UPDATE
1.0
Introduction
1.1
Fife Council's Community Plan clearly sets out a commitment to reducing
disadvantage and exclusion particularly through four major regeneration initiatives
covering: Dunfermline; the former coalfield communities of Central Fife; Kirkcaldy
and Levenmouth.
1.2
The fortunes of the Levenmouth area over the past forty years has taken their toll on
the area. Loss of local jobs and a continuing drop in the population has led to the
need for a sustained and comprehensive approach to regeneration - physical, social
and economic.
2.0
Local Vision & Approach
2.1
The vision for Levenmouth is to achieve a sustainable and more prosperous
community by stabilising the population of the area, expanding the income in
circulation within the local economy and by making Levenmouth a more attractive
place to live and invest in.
We seek to do this in a number of ways:

Maximising local employment opportunities

Giving greater emphasis to improving external accessibility to employment
opportunities, increasing the competitiveness of local businesses, and making
the area more attractive for inward investment.

Maintaining and enhancing the vitality and viability of town centres

Management of continuing physical and economic changes in areas which have
suffered from a loss of retail trade over the recent decades.

Raising skill levels of the local workforce
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Improving the overall quality of life for the residents, workforce and tourists is a key
part of the regeneration process which can be achieved by:

Promoting improvements in health and well-being

Protecting and enhancing the environment.

Improving opportunities and facilities for young people.

Assisting local people to improve their own financial circumstances
3.0
Current Position
3.1
Progress has been made within Regeneration in Levenmouth over the past few
years. Levenmouth Regeneration has been working in partnership with external
bodies and other Services to tackle issues and give support to the physical, social
and economic regeneration of the local area.
3.2
The following gives an update on some of the regeneration projects in the
Levenmouth area:
3.2.1
Wheels to Work - After the success of the Wheels to Work project in Crosshill a
satellite depot in Levenmouth has been set up offering a number of vehicles for low
cost rental(including one adapted for the disabled) to those who live in the area and
would be unable to take up the offer of employment or training without a vehicle.
3.2.2
Money Answers - This project was officially launched on 10 October 2005 by
Malcolm Chisolm MSP, to trial a new approach to promoting financial inclusion,
improving awareness of and access to financial services, increasing financial literacy
whilst maximising the disposable income for those vulnerable to poverty.
Figures from the project show:
Client Enquiries & Cases

Total Enquiries Received
240

Total Client Cases Progressed
165

Total Number of Advice Sessions to Clients (to 31/3/07)
784

Total Number of Clients Assisted from Levenmouth Datazone
81
Economic Impact / Value for Money
The project has recorded total of over £56,000 against client & economic gains
through successful charity applications, benefit take-up, loans & other awards made
to clients.
As a project based within a regeneration area, all financial gains awarded to “Money
Answers” clients have made a considerable difference to the overall quality of their
lives, as well as having additional economic spin-offs for local businesses & retailers
in the Levenmouth area.
The project has now ceased taking new referrals and will close on 31 July 2007.
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3.2.3
Savoy Sports Pavilion - Funding is now in place for this £660k project within the
financial year 07/08. A design team is being drawn together who will deliver the
project. No project start date has yet been set. The work to be carried out will
include the re-roofing of the building, disabled access improvements and toilet and
the refurbishment of the café area into a youth internet café.
3.2.4
Street:Life - Current Street:Live developments include:
The Street:Live staff team working to expand the number of projects on offer.
Street Football:Live - This project makes use of a recently acquired portable W2W
Football Pitch which is located in suitably surfaced areas throughout Levenmouth.
There is an emphasis on placing the equipment, at or near to, locations that suffer
from chronic anti-social behaviour. The Police’s extensive knowledge of these issues
guides the deployments accordingly. The equipment is used during the hours of
darkness and arrangements had to be made for suitable portable flood lighting. The
pitch is out once a fortnight on a Friday evening alternating with Atomic or Bluelight
discos. This will continue as it has been, every second Friday, moving around
Levenmouth. There are a couple of ‘extras’ at each night, varying from live
bands/DJs, smoothie making, fashion and beauty, tag rugby and basketball.
Street 8-a-side Football:Live - This has been running at Kirkland Community School
and is very successful, with up to 50 young people attending. This has been moved
to a Tuesday evening in order to access 2 astro-turf pitches. This project has now
been replicated at Kennoway on a Monday evening.
Graffiti:Live - This is now up and running on Wednesday at Buckhaven theatre.
This will be led by the young people and has a professional artist to engage and
teach them skills & techniques of this art style.
Basketball:Live – This has been developed in conjunction with Leven Youth
Initiative. Four volunteer coaches have been found, and this will be up and running
soon.
Skateboarding:Live - This is being developed. There is a group of keen young
people who want to develop and improve the local Leven skate park, so that they
don’t have to always travel to Dundee or Perth.
DJ:Live – This project is working with local young DJs giving tutoring workshops to
improve skills of the young people with intention of them playing at their Friday
Street football.
Baseball:Live – This is run on a Sunday at Buckhaven High School. There are 20
young people working with a volunteer and their objective is to put a team forward
into the Scottish league.
Film:Live – This project works with the young people to produce short films to
showcase Street:Live projects. They are also looking into showing independent and
in house films.
Dance:Live – This is being developed and will be a street/hip hop session aimed
predominately at female young people.
Summer:Live - This will run for the first 4 weeks of the holidays providing a variety of
activities for young people to take part in. Currently several sport camps (Basketball,
Baseball, Dance, Cricket, Netball) are being looked at, along with a theatre/
animation group working toward performance and music workshops.
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Trax -Local young people from across Levenmouth are able to access this project
and have been excited by the challenge of mountain biking. This project has also
been used by the alternative curriculum group of Buckhaven High School.
Fear, Love, Hate - This project is a large scale performance project involving
puppetry, animation and live music, providing benefit and significant skills transfer for
teenagers in the Levenmouth regeneration area. It is structured around the core
experiences, perceptions, beliefs and more fundamentally the issues involved with
being a teenager in our society today. A number of performances of the production
have been arranged.
3.2.5
Methil No 3 Dock - The first phase of work has been completed at Methil No 3 dock
which included the relocation of Stuart’s the Bakers and the building of Thomson
House (11,000 sq ft). This is now occupied by Lauder College, Employment and
Enterprise and an MGt Call Centre.
Work has also begun on the Childcare Centre of Excellence which will offer
affordable quality childcare to the local community. Training opportunities will also
be made available.
Alsherra Investments, in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise Fife, are now beginning
to build the Hydrogen office (a three storey block) and a small number of business
units. The Hydrogen office will to be a demonstration centre. The building will be
powered by a wind turbine with the excess power being stored as hydrogen, to be
used when needed. The turbine will be small and unobtrusive and less obvious than
structures in the area already. The Hydrogen Office Project advised that storage will
be very heavily regulated and will be far safer than standard car fuel tanks.
3.2.6
Fife Energy Park This is a joint Scottish Enterprise Fife / Fife Council project which will focus on all
energy sectors, fabrication, testing, assembly and engineering. The specific focus
will be on renewable energies.
Planning permission has been granted for a roundabout and work will begin on this
in the near future. This will make the entrance into the Energy Park easier and also
improve access to the Methil No 3 Dock.
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3.2.7
Leven Town Centre - Projects include:
Leven Bus Station - This has recently been completed and the invitation to tender is
out for the commercial property contained within it.
Gas Holder Site – The site is under review with discussions taking place over the
redevelopment of the site.
Old Tourist Information Office - Discussion are being held at present to maximise its
community use. Previously it has been used for project launches, health events etc.
3.2.8
Lower Methil Improvements - A comprehensive study was prepared by DTZ Pieda
on the social, cultural and physical regeneration of Lower Methil. Following
consultations with the local community, projects were identified:
Environmental Aspects – Work was carried out on a number of sites along High
Street, Lower Methil to improve the visual amenity of the area. This included not
only soft landscaping but also hard landscaping e.g. St Andrews Square.
Sailor’s Rest Outdoor Area – Work was carried out on the external area of the
Sailor’s Rest Centre. The area was improved to allow use by to all members of the
community, both young and old. Young people are also able to access the area
outwith the Centre’s opening hours.
Methil Thrift Shop & Community Gym - Work is well underway on the renovation of
the Thrift Shop and Community Gym based in High Street, Lower Methil. The gym is
open to all members of the local community. The Thrift shop is staffed by volunteers
from the Sailor’s Rest Centre.
3.2.9
Promote Levenmouth Alliance - Levenmouth Regeneration Initiative supported a
study “Tourism Action Plan for Levenmouth” which was commissioned by Fife
Council Development Services/ Fife Coast & Countryside Trust. From this a new
business and community association “Promote Levenmouth Alliance” was formed. It
aims to raise and sustain Levenmouth’s profile in tourism and business matters. To
this end they will work to raise tourism standards and help regenerate the area.
3.2.10
Levenmouth Gateways- Discussion between Regeneration and Community
Services culminated in the gateways into Levenmouth being improved. Work has
been carried out on both Durievale and Cameron Hospital roundabouts and a
regular programme of planting and grass cutting set up.
Further work has also been carried out at Simon Crescent, Methilhill where off-street
parking was made available to the local residents.
3.2.11
Employment Transportation - The Community Regeneration Fund is providing
minority funding into an initiative to support recruitment and retainment at MGt, a
customer contact centre, at the John Smith Business Park, outside Kirkcaldy.
Further funding is coming from Job Centre Plus, Scottish Enterprise Fife, MGt itself
and from contributions made from employees who use the service and have become
members of its 'travel to work club'.
This initiative is a six month pilot that hopefully will become sustainable. Its
objectives are to make it easier for those living in areas of deprivation to access and
retain job opportunities by tackling transport as a barrier to employment. There are
perceived to be particular difficulties with a mismatch between public transport
provision and shift pattern times at the customer contact centre.
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3.2.12
Silverburn Park Estate - To date work has been carried out on a number of
landscape areas i.e. :
Upgrading of the Garden Area including:
1. Removal of unwanted plant material, re-designing the plant beds layout ,planting
up of the flower bed areas with herbaceous/shrub planting. Maintenance regime
within the Garden area has been raised to a higher spec.
2. A central focus point in the herbaceous border to include climbing roses; clematis
etc. is being formed
3. Re design of seating areas to incorporate access by wheelchair users and
implement footpath improvements
4. Rabbits have been a problem for many years. Following some research, a type of
robust metal fencing was used, sunk into the ground to stop digging and high
enough to stop jumping. Gates are now self closing
Former Retting Pond
1. Trees thinned out to allow more light and reduce leaf fall.
2. Pond water taken out, 4 feet depth of rotted leaves removed, Pond boundaries
reshaped to allow for planting of "water margin" plants. Planting for biodiversity
undertaken. (Coast & Countryside Trust advised on biodiversity aspects)
3. Small island created to encourage bird nesting.
4. Pond water level filled up slowly via rain/natural seepage from higher ground.
5. Railed viewing platform constructed to allow ready access to view Pond.
6. Seating and Bin provided.
7. Access is now user friendly i.e. wheelchairs and semi-ambulant.
3.2.13
Community Food Development Project - This project is a multi-agency approach
funded by Community Regeneration Funding. The Community Food Development
Worker based in Levenmouth has been in post since August 2006. The vision of the
project is to encouraging health and well being across Levenmouth by:
 Increasing understanding and information on healthy eating.
 Encourage local people to become more involved.
 Provide opportunities within the local area for people to make affordable
healthy food choices, and
 To develop local projects highlighting all aspects of the food.
3.2.14
Inclusion & Employability Regeneration Workers - This project is strategically
focussed around the developing agenda linking health and employability and,
particularly, the development of initiatives to assist those facing multiple barriers to
make a planned return to work.
The employees based in the area work to a number of key objectives:
 Taking the Opportunity Centre services out to disadvantaged areas to
expand and broaden access to employability services.
 Making employability support services relevant and accessible to all,
particularly those who are currently disengaged and therefore most at risk
of exclusion.
 A holistic approach to the clients offering guidance, support and mentoring
to ensure raised confidence, motivation and awareness levels.
 Offer information and guidance and active support to enable people to
make contact with learning and pre employment initiatives that meet their
initial return to work needs.
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4.0
Completed Projects
4.1
A number of projects have been completed in the last few years. These have
included the redevelopment of the Hawkslaw Industrial Estate into a retail park
attracting leading retailers Focus DIY, Argos and Au Naturale. A feasibility study
has also been carried out by Arup Consultants into a Levenmouth access road.
Funding to the two High Schools in the area has included a £10,000 grant which was
used toward the cost of musical and electronic equipment. Both young and old
people became involved in the Regeneration War project which culminated in a
memorial garden being opened, with a DVD and book, Levenmouth At War – being
published. (Copy available from the Levenmouth Regeneration Initiative)
Education was also the focus when funding was made available for the Creative
apprenticeship scheme run by Levenmouth YMCA, which allowed local young
people to develop skills through volunteering – this was used as the template for the
Scottish Executive’s Project Scotland.
Encouraging the people of Levenmouth to live well, keep fit and stay healthy was the
driving force behind providing a children’s playpark and kick about area in East
Wemyss, working to develop the path network within Levenmouth, providing road
safety measures on Wellesley Road, Buckhaven, along with a memorial garden in
Methilhill which offers the local community a meeting place for reflection and
remembrance.
5.0
Monitoring & Evaluation
5.1
A monitoring and evaluation framework has been adopted. This ensures a
consistent and systematic approach to measuring best value.
6.0
Conclusion
6.1
Levenmouth Regeneration Initiative continues to tackle the physical, social and
economic regeneration of the area. To ensure the continued momentum of the
Initiative we shall maintain partnership working with Council Services and external
bodies to implement key projects.
Jim Findlay
Head of Local Services
Report Contact:
Levenmouth Regeneration Initiative
FeatureNet: 7031265
14 June 2007
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