£10,000 grant boost for Fife town’s ambitious water sports hub plan
A major offshore wind farm is boosting plans for an ambitious water sports hub in a Fife town.
The Royal Burgh of Crail is the first community to receive money from Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Offshore Wind Farm’s community benefit fund to drive its development plan.
The £10,800 grant will be out towards a comprehensive business plan to transform the Gas Works area adjacent to Crail Harbour into a multi-use water sports hub.
A business plan will be created later this year to also support the asset transfer of the Gas Works site from Fife Council to the community.
The water sports project is a result of extensive community consultation to create a Local Place Plan. This identified nine strategic priorities for the area, including ‘maintaining and improving harbour facilities’ as a key priority.
A survey in 2022 by Crail Community Partnership also found 88% of respondents considered harbour improvements important, given its prominence in community life and the local environment.
The ambitious project could eventually benefit approximately 1000 people annually through improved recreational opportunities, with wider positive impacts for Crail's 1640 residents and the broader visitor economy. The business plan will ensure the long-term commercial viability and sustainability of the water sports hub, providing lasting benefits for the community.
Gerry O’Neill, chairman of Crail Community Council said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from the NnG Offshore Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund and apply it to what is an important initiative within the community.
“The area adjacent to the harbour is an ideal site for the development of a water sports centre. It is essential that we complete a structural survey and establish the feasibility and financial sustainability of such a development before we embark on an asset transfer and build. This funding will allow us to complete both these steps to inform the future development of the project.”
Over its 25 year life-time, the wind farm will provide an estimated £6.75 million in community benefit to East Lothian, Berwickshire and Fife coastal communities - some 20% of which is split across the Fife communities of Crail, Elie and Earlsferry, St. Monans and Abercrombie, Pittenweem and Kilrenny, and Anstruther and Cellardyke in the first three years. Arrangements for distributing initial funding in the other four Fife communities will be finalised later this yar.
Piero Maggio, asset operations director for NnG said: “It has been fantastic to see the first grant being awarded for NnG following close and careful dialogue with various communities across the east of Scotland.
“The Crail harbour project could drive more visitors to the area, boost the economy and create jobs for local people in due course. It’s great to see the money being used for such an innovative project.
“Foundation Scotland has been working closely with communities on our behalf to manage the community benefit funding, maximising the impact it can make for local people through difference funding mechanisms. We look forward to hearing more positive stories coming through of how the money is being spent across Fife, East Lothian and East Berwickshire.”