River restoration works progress at Balbirnie Park

The Restoring the Back Burn Project has been underway over the last year and works continue this summer at Balbirnie Park in Markinch.

Design consultants CBEC eco-engineering and construction contractors McGowan Environmental Ltd have been at work on site since early May, in the historic designed landscape of Balbirnie House, now a valued public greenspace.

Work has started upstream of Balbirnie Park Golf Course, where hard banking and small weirs are being removed, and nature-like rock ramps are being constructed over larger weirs.

The project will progress downstream and works planned for the other side of the golf course include removing gabion baskets and other hard engineering on the riverbank, weir removal, construction of rock ramps, and improving the ford and footbridge. These are expected to be complete by October 2026.

The works at Balbirnie Park follow the completion of Phase 1 of the Restoring the Back Burn project at Coul Den in October 2025. With spring bringing vegetation growth, the site is now starting to look green again, and the restoration features such as nature-like rock ramps are starting to settle in.

A pair of otter have been seen in the re-aligned channel above Coul Reservoir, native brown trout have been seen swimming in the delta underneath the new boardwalk, and abundant frog spawn has been observed in the old artificial channel which now provides pond habitat.

A total of six impassable fish barriers were removed or otherwise mitigated by the restoration works at Coul Den, opening a much larger stretch of habitat for fish species including the resident trout population. The work at Balbirnie Park will remove a further five barriers.

Lynda Gairns, River Restoration Specialist at SEPA, said: "SEPA are delighted to see the second and last phase of the Back Burn restoration project get off to a successful start so early in the summer.

“The improvement works being carried out are a great addition to the successful works carried out at Coul Den and it's wonderful to see the river and surrounding greenspace thriving again."

A community survey carried out by project managers Fife Coast and Countryside Trust showed that 85 per cent of respondents felt positively about the works at Coul Den.

One respondent said: “I appreciate the efforts made to enhance the ecological balance at Coul Den. It's a great asset to our community.”

A total of 70 per cent of respondents said the works made them more likely to visit the site, and 81 per cent said their access to the site had been improved. Some respondents were happy to see the heritage features of the site retained: “Given the importance of Coul Den to the industrial heritage of Glenrothes it is nice to see that historic features of the site have been kept.”

While others commented on the changes in biodiversity they are noticing, with one commenting: “Didn't see any migrating toads trapped below the path at the outlet this spring, which was a feature over past years - that was lovely to see” and another saying “…to be honest I wasn’t sure about the changes… but as time has progressed and nature has fought back, I’m beginning to love the changes.”

Councillor Jan Wincott, Fife Council spokesperson for environment and climate change, said: "The positive feedback from the Coul Den phase shows just how much these projects are valued by local communities, and we’re pleased to see that work now continuing downstream.

“We’d like to thank visitors for their patience while these important improvements are carried out.”

The Restoring the Back Burn project is part of a landscape-scale vision for river restoration in Fife. The River Leven Restoration project was completed in 2024, and the Rosyth River Restoration project has received funding for its design phases. The projects are being delivered in partnership by SEPA, Fife Council and FCCT.

Diversions are clearly signposted and visitors are asked to please adhere to them.