Plans for new RNLI lifeboat station in Fife

The new station would be next to the site of the current station, adjacent to the east pier which is currently used for parking.

The original RNLI station was first established in 1865, with the lifeboat house and slipway constructed in 1904, with extensions carried out over time.

However, it is now felt that these developments are now insufficient to accommodate the size of vessel and more modern requirements of the RNLI, and that a new station is needed.

There is also a need to provide accommodation facilities for the crew.

The new station would provide two new boat halls, with one accommodating the new Shannon Class Lifeboat and the second accommodating the inshore D-Class Lifeboat and tractor.

A workshop, crew rooms, storage spaces and meeting rooms/offices will also be included.

The planning application states that there were ‘limited options’ for alternative sites for the new station, while the age, construction and major works required to enable the larger lifeboat to be accommodated meant renovating the current station was ruled out.

It concludes: ‘The erection of a new lifeboat station that meets with modern design and space requirements of the RNLI and at the same time also secures a long-term fit for purpose future for the lifeboat facilities at Anstruther will bring about significant wider public benefits’.