Glimmer of hope in bid to find new location for Fife town’s busy recycling centre

Fife Council is investigating an un-named site as its new home, according to Councillor John Caffrey (Lib-Dem) at a North East Fife Area committee meeting on Wednesday. It’s a big boost for the town as back in September the local authority said there were "no suitable sites.”

The subject was raised by members of Cupar Development Trust (CDT) on Wednesday as they revealed that a new and improved centre is one of the local community’s top four priorities.

“This is something I'm sure you’ve heard many times before but the community has highlighted Cupar Recycling Centre as one of the most pressing issues,” Anja Armstrong, CDT’s Development Officer explained. “The current centre is too small with a strict booking service as a result. Locals would like to see a larger centre with a greater range of facilities and longer opening times. To facilitate this, a larger site is required.”

“The most feasible of the sites suggested by the public is within the current Cupar/Prestonhall Trading Estate, which is currently served by a bus stop on the A91,” Mrs Armstrong said.

In response, Cllr Caffrey revealed that the council is currently investigating a site for the potential relocation of the centre.

“I’m not prepared to say where, but I’m led to believe there may be a 30-40% possible success rate,” he said. “Whether or not that figure can be increased by further investigations, we can only hope.”

The existing centre was the subject of community frustration and controversy earlier this year when the facility unexpectedly closed due to temporary operational issues. It was closed in February following an independent review which highlighted serious safety concerns. These included cars parking on the road, opening doors into traffic, and people were walking on and off the site. The centre was reopened at the end of March with changes in place. Visitors are now required to book a slot to limit cars queueing on the road. Vehicles with trailers have also been banned. Since then, local ward councillors have been pushing for a replacement

“The recycling centre is still the number one priority for myself and some of the other councillors of this ward,” Councillor Stefan Hoggan-Radu (SNP for Cupar) said on Wednesday “I know that it is with the council’s Labour minority administration, and we’ve been on at them and on at them. It’s more about location at the moment - which is really getting very frustrating, but we’re hopeful something will come soon.”

CDT envisions that a new and improved recycling centre will have more space for additional cars alongside pedestrian access alongside a Castle Furniture reuse facility and workshop area.