Council reveal proposed changes to streets in two Fife towns

The local authority was given £2.4 million for temporary changes to streets across the Kingdom, and had discussed proposals with local residents and businesses before making the announcement last week.

In St Andrews, changes could be made to Bell Street, Church Street, South Street and Market Street.

Extra pedestrian space could be created on all four streets, leading to a loss of parking spaces on South Street. On Bell Street, the taxi rank could be moved to Greyfriars Garden, with all parking spaces removed.

Car parking spaces could also be removed from Market Street, dropping from 55 to 21.

Parking spaces could also be lost outside the Criterion, the Adamson and Jannettas.

In Cupar, a 20mph speed limit could be trialled in the town centre, while smaller changes, such as cutting back vegetation next to paths and creating more pedestrian space by using cones, could also be made.

There are also changes which will be carried out in all towns across Fife, such as increasing pedestrian space outside schools and putting up more signs outside shops.

Penny Uprichard, chairwoman of the St Andrews Community Council planning committee, said: “I have asked one of the officers if anybody visited St Andrews to see the streets that were going to be altered in some way.

“For example, I cannot see any point in removing the parking from Murray Park, where the pedestrian traffic is generated almost entirely by the B&Bs, and there is very little pedestrian traffic apart from that. People with luggage, children and dogs need space to unload.”

Councillor Brian Thomson added: “I can understand the concerns that have been expressed by some businesses regarding the loss of parking spaces, and I also recognise the concerns that have been expressed by many residents regarding the difficulty in physical distancing in the town centre, which is causing some to completely avoid the area.

“When it comes to vehicular traffic and parking in particular, it’s clear that there is no consensus view on what’s best for the town centre, but the measures that Fife Council is now set to install appear to be a reasonable compromise, which could be easily and quickly altered or removed if found to not be working.”