Recreational holiday plans for Silverburn
Silverburn House
A RESIDENTIAL holiday home for the disabled is another possible incarnation for Silverburn in Leven.
A trust group hopes to transform decaying Silverburn House into a recreational and leisure facility in a £3 million venture.
If it gains approval, Silverhaven Trust believes it can source grant aid and raise enough finance to have the project up and running within five years.
The scheme was one of five discussed at an informal meeting last month with Fife Council, which is seeking to revitalise Silverburn Park through private investment on a long-term leasehold basis.
Silverhaven is a newly-formed trust aiming to provide property in Fife with facilities for affordable holiday, relaxation, leisure and conference accommodation – primarily for people with learning disabilities and their families and/or carers.
The venue would be “suitably adapted to meet the needs of the service receivers’ associated physical and/or complex needs” – which, in Silverburn House’s case, would mean building an extension and other possible alterations.
The Trust recently held a market research meeting – literally across the road at Blacketyside – to explain its plan and measure the desire for such accommodation.
Councillors and figures such as Fife’s Lord Lieutenant, Margaret Dean, were in attendance.
Trust representative the Rev. Elizabeth Fisk, minister of St Ninian’s Church in Dunfermline, said there had been a positive reaction and people had expressed the wish for a “social hub”.
The Trust had no objection to a lease and felt its vision fitted the terms of Silverburn’s bequest to the people.
It was already very accessible and would remain so, while the plan would allow privacy for holidaymakers and regular visitors alike.
The nearest place with similar facilities was in Kent, added Ms Fisk, and the Trust felt something similar should be in Fife, which had a lot to offer visitors.
Able-bodied people could go wherever they wanted on holiday, said Ms Fisk, but those with disablities could not.
Fife Council has said further talks may be held with the would-be developers – all of whom had put forward a “sound case” – before decisions were made on Silverburn’s future management and maintenance.
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Monday 20 May 2013
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