Councillor withdraws support for East Neuk care home plans

A councillor has withdrawn his support for a new care home to be built in an East Neuk park after locals raised objections.
Residents have made their feelings known about the plans.Residents have made their feelings known about the plans.
Residents have made their feelings known about the plans.

Cllr Bill Porteous has said that he will no longer support the proposal to replace Ladywalk Care Home in Anstruther from its current location to adjacent Bankie Park.

An ongoing public consultation has found that many local residents are not in support of moving the new care home to the park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Fife Health and Social Care Partnership proposed that a new £18.3m investment would replace older care homes in Anstruther, Cupar and Buckhaven.

In a statement, the partnership said: “At this stage, our preferred option is to locate the new care home in Bankie Park and return the site of Ladywalk House to park land on a like for like basis.”

But many locals have expressed concerns that it not only takes away an area popular with children and families to play in, but might disrupt a safe walking route to the primary school.

More than 1800 local residents have signed a petition calling for the proposal to be scrapped.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Local resident Hailey Marshall said: “It’s wrong to take the kids park away, I don’t believe for a second the old site will be returned to parkland. The size does not add up, I suspect updated plans that would follow will take more and more of the land. While construction is happening there will be even less park for the kids.”

In a statement, Cllr Porteous said: “While the consultation period for proposals does not end until late August, it is clear to me now that a large number of folk in Anstruther are not in favour of the ‘pitch and switch’ proposal suggested. Therefore I withdraw my support for any proposal that affects Bankie Park.

“However, I will continue to work strenuously with my political colleagues and Fife Council officers to provide a new care home within central Anstruther that can meet the needs of residents of Ladywalk, their relatives and the loyal staff working there.”