Action plan agreed for work to start on new lifeboat station in Anstruther

Phase one of the project gets underway on July 21 after talks between the RNLI and Fife Council to ensure the harbour area continues to operate.

The new station is being built to house the cutting-edge Shannon class lifeboat. The first phase involves work carried out in the water to build the launch ramp and sea wall.

With the safety of the workforce paramount, it was crucial to get it done in the summer - reduced winter daylight and poor weather would have posed “unacceptable safety challenges to the construction team” as well as prolonging the build time and significantly increasing cost.

The revised plans helps to address key concerns raised. These include 20 car parking spaces at East Basin car park remaining throughout the building work - and spaces being available at the park and ride facility which the RNLI has created behind the Co-op store in the town.

Public access to East Basin beach will be maintained throughout while part of the beach will be closed to allow safe installation of the launch ramp. Tour buses and coaches will also be able to drop passengers at the harbour area as usual before parking in designated areas elsewhere in the town. Coach bays in the Station Road car park have been reconfigured to accommodate four buses, and during school holidays and at the weekend Waid Academy will be used as an overflow. Tour operators have been notified, and signs will be erected for coaches and to direct the public to the park and ride site.

The current proposed dates for the shuttle bus running from the park and ride to the harbour area are:

Peak (Easter school holidays. June, July and August) - 10:00am-6:00pm daily; Mid-season (April, excluding Easter holidays, May. October half-term and Christmas holidays - 10:00am to 4:00pm daily; Off-peak weekends, 10:00am-4:00pm

Stuart Gudgeon, RNLI operations lead, said: ‘We are pleased we have been able to reach agreement with Fife Council about the phasing of the work and are grateful to local people for their understanding. We are doing everything we can to minimise the impact of the construction work and will keep people informed about the progress of the project.

‘The local community has been incredibly generous in supporting the appeal to help fund our new lifeboat station and we hope they will be proud of the building. It will be a significant new landmark in the town and will vastly improve the way our crew are able to operate, providing a permanent home for Anstruther’s Shannon class all-weather lifeboat.”

John Mitchell, head of roads and transportation, added: “We fully understand how important tourism and visitors are to the town and we appreciate the impact a development such as this could have on local businesses, during the construction period. However, we also fully appreciate the importance of this project for the RNLI and their need to start work as soon as possible to help ensure the safety of the construction team working in the sea and to minimise rising costs.

“It is appreciated that there will be disruption to the local community, businesses and visitors, however the RNLI have listened to the issues raised by the community and put measures in place to help mitigate the effects of their construction works.”

The RNLI is holding a drop-in session at the lifeboat station on Wednesday, July 2 from 1:00pm to 8.00pm and Thursday, July 3 from 9:30am to 12:00pm. This will allow the community to come along, see revised phasing plans and drawings, and to ask any questions.