Funding boost for major project to bring historic Fife town centre back to life

Fife Council and Fife Historic Buildings Trust (FHBT) have been successful in bids for funding for the development phase of the Buckhaven Heritage Regeneration Project.

Grants totalling £170,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) have been secured, and with funding also coming from the local authority, the private sector and other sources, and it is hoped the project will see at least £3 million invested in Buckhaven over a five-year period.

Following on from similar projects in Inverkeithing, Cupar and Anstruther, the scheme will use heritage as a vehicle for promoting health and wellbeing, providing skills training and education opportunities, and increasing pride in and a sense of belonging to the local area.

The teams behind the project will work with a wide cross-section of the local community to identify, safeguard and promote the heritage that is important to them through a series of linked projects. These include:

Repairs and improvements to key community buildings to safeguard the heritage value, improve energy efficiency and climate resilience, and support their long-term sustainability - and a grant scheme for privately owned traditional buildings to support repairs, energy efficiency and shopfront improvements.

There will also be public realm and green space improvements in the historic centre of Buckhaven, plus an ambitious traditional skills training, capacity building, and community heritage activities programme to engage with all sections of the local population, including those in the most disadvantaged communities.

Councillor Colin Davidson, convener of Fife Council’s Levenmouth Area Committee, said: “This new project could be the best thing to happen to this area in the last 50 years – it’s a very exciting project. There’s huge incentive for us to work together with the local community to regenerate the whole of Buckhaven and I can’t wait to see what’s planned.”

Christine May, who chairs Fife Historic Buildings Trust, welcomed the news, adding: “This is a really exciting opportunity for Buckhaven, and we are looking forward to working with the community and Fife Council to explore the local heritage, discover the places and stories that are important to people, and develop a range of heritage projects that will support the town’s future. For centuries Buckhaven played an important role in the economy of Fife and it will be great to bring that history to life. We are absolutely thrilled for Buckhaven, and we can’t wait to get started.”

The project will be developed further throughout this year and into early 2024 and, if funders are supportive of the plans, it will begin in autumn 2024 and will run until 2029. It is anticipated that more than 2,000 people will engage with the project through volunteering, training, activities, events and interpretation.