Burntisland residents to have their say on the future of the town

There has been a lot of talking and listening as locals were asked their views on what they liked and didn’t like about living in the town and what they would like to see change.

Now the initiative has reached the next stage and an event is planned for the community this month.

Andy Pay, a director of the Development Trust, explained: “We’ve been consulting with the community over the last four months and after reading through the responses from more than 700 individuals and community groups, the results are now in.”

To share the findings with the wider public, the partnership organisations are holding an event on Saturday, March 18 at Burntisland Primary School. The doors will be open for everyone to drop in between 11am and 3pm to see for themselves what people have been saying.

Those attending will be given seven chances to vote for the projects and ideas that they would most like to see happen.

More than half (58 per cent) of survey respondents highlighted the community spirit of the town as something that they particularly liked. The event organisers are keen to build on this, so joining in on the day will be many of the active community groups from around Burntisland and groups running free activities for children. There will also be entertainment throughout the session with the Burntisland Pipe Band opening the event at 11am.

The survey results and people’s votes from the event will help shape a new Community Action Plan for the town.

Jo Hobbett, a development officer with the Development Trust, said: “A new Community Action Plan will really give the community a voice, people who live here are well placed to know what will be best for Burntisland, local people need to be involved in the decisions that affect them.

"It will help both existing and new groups to secure support and funding to move forward with their ideas, this is not a static plan, it will evolve and change as we go through the next five years. Just a few years ago we didn’t know we had a pandemic ahead of us, our community spirit helped to pull us through and although Burntisland already has so much going for it, our shared vision and resilience will continue to make the town an even better place to live and work in.”

Organisers are keen that as many local people as possible come along on March 18 to find out what everyone has been saying and to help prioritise what happens next. Although there is a serious element to the day, there will be plenty of chance to chat to people, take part in activities, listen to some entertainment and enjoy free tea, coffee and cake.