New time limits on parking announced at popular Fife harbour

Fife Council is bringing in the new temporary arrangement at the East Basin car park in Anstruther this summer while the RNLI carries out works to build a new lifeboat station.

Current seasonal car parking charges, which run from April to the end of September, allow paying customers to park all day if they wish - but, from Monday, August 11 they will now be limited to two hours.

The change is one of a number of actions put in place as work gets underway on the new station which 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.

A total of 20 car parking spaces at East Basin car park will remain 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.

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.

John Mitchell, head of roads and transportation services, said: "While works are ongoing to build the new lifeboat station, the spaces in the car park will be reduced to 20. We looked at car parking surveys from July 2024 and these indicated that at least 15 bays were used for seven or eight hours daily, meaning very little turnover.

“Having discussed this with local elected members, representatives of the Community Council and local businesses at the recent drop in sessions, it was agreed that short term parking of up to two hours would be introduced in the East Basin Car Park. This will be in place during the summer season.

"During the works we will continue to liaise with the RNLI and local community to assess parking demands and whether any further adjustments, where feasible, could be made to help reduce the impact of the works"

The council said the two-hour limit “will encourage greater turnover of the remaining parking spaces during the summer.” Anyone who wants to park for longer should use the new, free temporary P&R car park, off St Andrews Road, and the existing car park at Station Road. There are no changes planned for the Folly car park or the on-street parking bays in the town. The seasonal car parking charges will stop on October 1 and resume 1 April each year.