Crail Matters extends its condolences to the families of those bereaved by the atrocity in London on Wednesday, and we offer our deepest sympathy to all affected.
www.crabpublishing.co.uk CRAIL MATTERS W/C 22 March No 8 incorporating About Crail Free Crail Kirk Daffodil Coffee Morning
On Saturday morning, 18 March, the Crail Parish The Daffodil Coffee Morning was a great success and Church opened their newest addition to the Kirk Hall - the Kirk Hall team wants to personally thank everyone a back garden patio. The Kirk Hall was built in 1998 (69 guests) that came to open the garden patio. There but the back garden needed a facelift. So it was decided were lovely homemade scones, pancakes and short - by the Church to add a lovely back garden patio area. bread for everyone to enjoy with coffee or tea. There Mark and Jan Johnson started the work last year. Typi - was of course a stall with Daffodils, homemade jam and cally our regular Scottish weather gave them a few chal - lemon curd which sold out. The raffle was a great suc - lenges to get the patio done. Mark and Jan just dug in cess with over 200 tickets sold. The Kirk Hall team to get the job done. Well done Mark and Jan! wants to also thank everyone who brought from the stall and the raffle tickets. We raised £395.70 for the Hall Saturday morning Rev Ann Allison cut the ribbon to of - funds. ficially open the patio at 10:30am. The visitors of the coffee morning followed Ann to see the beautiful new So the next time you are planning gatherings please area. Everyone loved the daffodils and the large space check out the Kirk Hall and the back garden patio. It is that could be used for any event. Many said what a a very lovely place to have your special event. lovely place to have a barbecue or family gathering. So now the Kirk Hall has the lovely inside and the beauti - ful back patio. Everyone is welcome to come in to see Book bonanza! the newest addition. Sale of pre-loved books – adult fiction, non-fiction and children’s old and new favourite authors Crail Community Choir Crail Town Hall March 27 Saturday and Sunday 1st and 2nd April 2017 7.30pm 10am-5pm all day both days Kirk Hall Admission free All welcome! DONATIONS OF ANY UNWANTED BOOKS OF Everyone will be made very welcome. ANY SORT FOR OUR CHARITY TABLE MOST WELCOME – WE SUPPORT VARIOUS ANIMAL There is no obligation to attend every week. WELFARE CHARITIES
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!"#$%& "#'( #)*2'+ ,$ -. &/'0 $ Letter from America
Susan Fleming, Washington DC It is that time of year, whether you are in Crail or the the gardener’s sanity is the swelling deer population Washington DC, when our thoughts turn to readying the that, as in parts of the UK, brings with it the risk of garden for the growing season ahead. It is also the time Lime disease. Although we live less than 20 minutes when I wish I was living in Crail where gardening from the White House we have processions of dear seems like a more relaxing endeavour. Washington munching though our garden day and night, especially does have its beautiful azaleas in early spring and of in spring with the succulent buds on offer. Of our gar - course the famous Japanese cherry trees around its tidal den plants hosta is their favourite but they will also basin. But for the average gardener establishing and gladly eat any - maintaining a beautiful garden is an uphill struggle. thing else that doesn’t smell In the Washington area we have a climate of extremes or have a fuzzy where temperatures can go down to -17C in winter and texture. up to 38C with high humidity in summer. From this you can appreciate how challenging survival is for the Thankfully plants. Without constant summer watering it wouldn’t some plants, be possible to have a garden. The best thing we ever like ligularia, did for our garden was to invest in a sprinkler system. are not to their taste. To pro - As tends to happen in hot humid conditions we are also tect the others I challenged with bugs – both the plant eating variety and have to spray every two weeks with a foul smelling or - the gardener eating variety. Mosquitos can get quite vi - ganic mix of garlic, rotten eggs, dried blood and many cious – in particular the striped Tiger mosquito that car - other revolting ingredients. No one else in the family ries a nasty bite. West Nile virus, a serious imported is inclined to help with this task. So next time you feel disease spread by mosquitos, is also a risk to gardeners. tempted to complain about the adverse conditions for gardening in Crail spare a thought for me! If that wasn’t enough perhaps the biggest challenge to Crail Folk Club March is working well so far - an excellent singers night Planning Notices on 9th with more singers than listeners; a fabulous show - Installation of porch and internal alterations in con - from Wizz Jones on 16th. So, we have generously de - junction with subdivision of existing dwelling house cided to give you a bonus Singers Night on Thursday to form two cottages at Sea Cottage Wormiston 30th. We are back to old and now, for most of the rest of Anstruther Fife KY10 3XH the year, our regular haunt - Crail Town Hall 8pm. - Alterations and single storey extension to dwelling - Thanks to Crail Kirk for letting us have the excellent house at 5 Balcomie Road, Crail Anstruther Fife Kirk Hall for Wizz Jones. It worked well for us. KY10 3TN - Listed building consent for installation of replace - Our Singers Nights are an opportunity for local perform - ment windows - 4 Marketgate South Marketgate ers and visitors alike to demonstrate their talents. We are Crail Anstruther Fife KY10 3TL fortunate in Crail, and surrounding districts, to have so many talented singers and musicians so always a high Sponsor forms are now available for Mandy standard. If, like me, you are not one of them just come Guthrie’s Half Marathon in aid of Crail Church along anyway and enjoy listening – it only costs £1. funds. They can be found in the Butcher, the Chemist, The Golf Hotel, at the back of Crail Full details of our programme can be had at www.crail - Church and in the Hall. folkclub.org.uk
Dear Readers Re: Crail Matters Funding Following our appeal in Issue No. 7 for funding, we are delighted to announce that several anonymous donors have made very generous donations towards our weekly operating costs. We would like to publicly acknowledge our grateful thanks for these donations which are truly much ap - preciated, thank you all very much. Please continue to support us. Editorial Team
3 Editorial Comment Fife Plan Adopted Public objections ignored by both Fife Plan - ners and the Scottish Government Reporters.
Following publication of the Report of Examination by the Scottish Government reporters on 18th November 2016, all recommended modifications to the Fife Plan were accepted by Fife Council’s Executive Com - mittee at their meeting on the 28th February 2017. The Scottish Ministers will be informed of Fife Council’s intention to adopt FIFEplan, the Proposed Fife Local Development Plan (as modified). A formal notice will be published in the Dundee Courier (Fife Edition) on the 24th March 2017, and following a statutory period of 28 days, unless Scottish Ministers indicate otherwise, the Plan will be adopted.
This is what the Plan means for Crail: 1. 320 houses to be built to the North of Crail over a 20 year period, with an indicative total of 160 being built within the Development Plan period. 2. A new local centre (including shops) will be located within this development 3. This site will form a new gateway to Crail; building heights (1 or 1 1⁄2 storeys) will be appropriate along the north - ern approach and edge with a transition to higher densities around the proposed central square. 4. Proposals will be made for an alternative route to Balcomie Road. 5. Unspecified industrial units are included in the Plan.
Significant public objections were made to the proposed scale of development, the creation of a new centre in com - petition with the existing centre of Crail, and the negative impact all this will have on the provision of services in Crail. All these objections were dismissed by both Fife Planners and the Government Reporter without any justifi - cation or debate. There has been no discussion with Community Groups or the Community Council about the nature of the development, although there has been detailed discussion with the landowner through High Point Crail, a com - pany wholly owned by the family of the landowner. Further discussions with the landowners and/or developer is en - visaged, with reference to the community being consulted but not included in these discussions, despite the fact that decisions made will materially affect the conditions under which we live.
Other communities have similarly expressed major concerns about the Fife Plan, and they too have been ignored. Cupar North, for example, is planned to accommodate 1,400 new homes. A community meeting was held last week at which more than 100 people attended, hosted by Cupar Community Council. Neither Fife Council Offi - cers nor the proposed developer turned up to the meeting!
The East Neuk generally, and Crail (and Kingsbarns) specifically, has seen the result of Fife Planners care in preserving the integrity of local villages – despite the platitudes of respect for the environment, need to pre - serve the character of the village, etc. we all know that this gives the green light to a rapacious developer to ex - ploit for profit a precious resource with the Planning au - thorities acting as facilitators, and residents appear to be unable to even influence the decision-making process, let alone stop it. It suggests that local democracy has no place in modern Scotland. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of the democratically elected represen - tatives in making the voice of residents heard. Surely this must become an issue in the forthcoming Council elec - tions.
4 Crail History Society Deadline for submission of objections Tuesday 28 March 2017 to the proposed rerouting of the Coastal Path and 7.30pm The British Legion Hall closure of Kingsbarns beach: 7 April The Milestones of Fife Objections to [email protected] A Talk by Dr. Paula Martín or to The Head of Legal Services, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT Admission £2.50/free for members
One of Scotland's major food festivals Cmarkeas ial reFtuorn od Fto etrys at wiivdea vlariety of new flavours: from gin and jam for its seventh year with a host of local flavours, tast - to cheese and cocktails. ings, children's activities, the opportunity to meet the makers and the now famous, Sunday Lunch at the Har - For the duration of the festival, the Marine Hotel at the bour. Crail Food Festival opens on Saturday 10th June heart of the village is transformed into a space dedicated across six venues. to children. The Children's Tea Party comes complete with storytelling, puppetry and the opportunity for par - Visitors can taste and try before they buy at the Indoor ents to relax over tea and cake. Food & Drink Market in the Crail Community Hall. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the faces be - On the evening of Saturday 10th June, an Evening Sup - hind some of Scotland's best artisanal food and drink, per and Entertainment will take place at Crail Commu - including whisky and gin from Kingsbarns Distillery, nity Hall. The event promises to be a showcase of the chocolates from Charlotte Flowers and the Pittenweem best local produce with live entertainment. This is event Chocolate Company, bread from master bakers, Bar - is ticketed separately and costs £20. netts Bakery and delicacies and homegrown fruit from Balgove Larder and Ardoss Farm Shop and much more. On Sunday 11th, The market runs on the Saturday only. the venues come to life again and Marquees will be placed down Marketgate. Music and the Indoor Food munching will be the order of the day with hot dishes & Drink Market like wood-fired pizza and fish tacos and gourmet is replaced by toasties, ice-creams, chocolate and other local treats on Sunday Lunch at offer accompanied by live music. the Harbour. In the harbour, festi - At the Crail Kirk Hall, family-run farm shop, Ardross val-goers can select their lunch from a series of street will co-host the Cookery Theatre with a schedule of food vendors. Local ice-cream, hand-pressed apple chefs and food producers revealing the secrets of great juice, shellfish, venison, fish and chips and haddock food and drink. From Michelin-starred chefs to hands- smoked traditionally over a barrel will all be on offer. on cookery teacher and experts on local food heritage, the timetable offers a line-up that's both informative and Crail Food Festival opens at 10.30am and costs £5 for entertaining. an adult (entry for children is free). The day pass allows entry to all daytime venues and free parking. A full programme of tastings will take place at Crail Le - gion Hall. With many visitors to Crail Food Festival cit - More information can be found at crailfoodfest.co.uk ing the event as instrumental in their discovery of new or follow @CrailFoodFest on Twitter or like the event favourite food and drink, this is a chance for everyone on Facebook.
The Guild The Guild meet on Thursday March 30th in the Kirk Hall at 7pm when the Rotary choir will be singing 'Songs from Six Nations'. All are most welcome, refreshments will be served. (Please note this is an evening meeting at 7pm)
5 ROYAL BURGH OF CRAIL AND DISTRICT COMMUNITY COUNCIL NOTES Elsewhere in this newsletter, the inappropriateness of the mittee? Fife Council in fact claim in communication Fife Local Development Plan is discussed. Whatever the with local MSP’s that there has been consultation with rights or wrongs might be of building more affordable Crail Community Council - in fact there has not. housing or more holiday homes, and the nature and qual - ity of what might be built, there is a fundamental problem This failure to be open with planning proposals suggests with the planning process as we experience it. We can another issue - the aversion of Fife Council Planning of - also see this in the way that the proposal to close access ficials to engage with local communities. In the case of to the coastal Path at Kingsbarns (and the beach) has been the Local Development Plan, the landowner who will handled; both illustrate the failure to consult, to listen to benefit from the planning permissions was consulted or even recognise the relevance of local voices. The (somewhat deceptively in the guise of their consultancy), whole process is not working in the interests of those who but there has been no discussion with local communities, live here, in that the voice of local people is simply not or in our case with Crail Community Council. As a com - being heard. So, our experience of the process of creating munity, we have amongst us people with probably equal the Local Development Plan seems typical of a much or greater relevant experience than Fife Council Officials larger and more fundamental problem. – why are they not engaged as the equals they are? Why is the underlying planning logic not discussed and ex - One issue is the way local representation seems to oper - plored with those who are affected by the outcomes? The ate. We might use the example of the Kingsbarns closure way objections to the Local Development Plan were sim - to illustrate this. According to the local MSP’s, ‘members ply dismissed suggests a protective and brittle arrogance of the North East Fife Area Committee gave consent for – protective and brittle because of course the assump - the Order to proceed to statutory consultation and minis - tions made may well not stand up to open scrutiny. terial review on February 22nd. The Council felt that the reasons for the request which included the safety of walk - These experiences call into question the adequacy of ers were appropriate reasons for issuing an exemption local democracy, but they also raise issues about how the order.’ Why was this not rejected at that point? Perhaps Scottish Government discharges its duty to oversee con - more pertinently, why was there no local consultation be - sultation and community involvement. fore the matter went to the North East Fife Area Com -
Glass Recycling The problem of providing an appropriate location for glass recycling in Crail remains an unresolved issue. Perhaps its time to seek alternative solutions. One approach is for the larger users of glass bottles to recycle their own material. Small scale recycling systems exist that grind bottles into useable sand - one example is glass2sand.com. This system claims that 120 beer bottles or 60 standard wine bottles reduce to half a bucket of sand, which they claim is safe to handle and dispose of. If the Council is unwilling or unable to provide a public facility, perhaps local solutions like this need to be explored. This would not solve the problem for householders, but it might help businesses that generate a lot of bottles.
Our difficult times The recent terrorist attack in Lon - don brings to mind a quotation by Churchill - ‘ When danger is far off, we may think of our weakness: when it is near we must not forget our strength ’. This really does speak to the times we live in at a number of levels.
6 WILD CRAIL Will Cresswell, with Photographs by John Anderson
There has been a cold easterly wind this week – there might well be a black redstart at Fife Ness I have been working in the garden some more re - arriving anytime soon. But the sea has been dis - cently and after the chiff-chaff of last week I have appointing: only gannets passing a little closer in been hoping for more birds passing through or and almost nothing else. over. Last Thursday’s pipe dream was an osprey. I have only ever seen one Crail osprey; a late sum - Gannet mer bird passing over Kingsbarns beach and then over Crail, heading to West Africa. But they must pass over Crail every year. Every time the gulls started making a fuss I looked up in hope but they were just particularly noisy. Even the local buz - zards weren’t flying over and upsetting them, I think it was just boisterousness and squabbles over rooftop territories. One bird I did notice, how - ever, was a male greenfinch or two displaying over the bottom of my garden. Greenfinches have a ca -
Greenfinch
I took a walk around Kilrenny mid-morning last Wednesday. Despite the cold everything was cranking up for breeding. The tree sparrows were everywhere very busy chirping in pairs and hang - ing around the nest boxes. There was a fair bit of robin, great Tree Sparrow tit, blackbird and chaffinch song, with nary like twittering and a very distinctive stiff skylarks and winged, slow wingbeat display flight in the spring. a corn They look like big yellow-green butterflies. Their bunting stilted flight makes them look a little bit like swal - singing in the lows too so they often catch my eye at this time of adjacent year. Greenfinches have become less common in field. I found recent years because of a disease epidemic my first Crail caused by a protozoan parasite but they still re - area lesser main a common bird. Every garden in Crail will black-backed have a greenfinch singing over it or nearby and gull of the they certainly brighten up an early spring, osprey - year amongst a flock of herring gulls in a winter less, day. wheat field. Like chiff-chaffs, these summer mi - grants have become more and more resident over The sea remained quiet all through the week. Just the last 40 years. My bird that day could have gulls, gannets, cormorants and shags. The cor - been newly arrived from Morocco for the summer morants are mostly developing breeding plumage or one of the handful of birds that winter around now with white thigh patches and white around the Cellardyke. I will go for newly arrived migrant just base of their bills. Although we think of cormorants because it appeals more to me, and in any case it as coastal, they are a bird of rivers and lakes in is no. 102 for the Crail year list. most other parts of Europe, nesting in big tree 7 colonies like herons. Cormorants here nest at the Island. Every evening I watch them fly back to the base of the cliffs amongst the rocks on the May island to roost, even during the winter: the safety of the May worth the five mile flight from Crail.
Balcomie Beach was also very quiet this week. All of the waders seem to have moved on apart from the oystercatchers and a few redshanks. The waders that appear from now onwards will be staging on their way north to breed. It really is quite quiet everywhere at the moment and I find myself eager for the spring to get going to improve the chance of encountering something special out there. Springs are very unpredictable here in terms of good numbers of interesting migrant birds – something good always turns up but some years there are lots of good things. We are due a spring Cormorant of red-backed shrikes with a hoopoe and a bluethroat for good measure.
We are proud to present on our website crailfestival.com what we are confident is a superb Programme for our 2017 Festival and would like to invite local residents to help us make the Festival a big success. You can do this either by making a financial contribution or by volunteering just a little of your time. You can become involved in the Festival in two ways: 1) By becoming a ‘Friend of Crail Festival’ . You can do this by sending a donation alon g with a copy of the donation form below. As a small thank you, Friends will be invited to the Art Exhibition Preview and reception on the 18th July at 7:30pm in the Town Hall. 2) By joining our team of Festival volunteers . Even if you can only spare a few hours (either in the months before or during the Festival itself) we would be very grateful for your help. Full details are on our website: just click on ’Volunteers’. Or contact Jill Bueckardt at [email protected] or on 01333 450644 if you would like to join the team . The website a lso has full details of our 2017 programme and details of how you can purchase tickets for events. Early birds will have a first opportunity on Saturday 2 7th May at 10 am – 12 noon in the Town Hall. Many thanks in advance for whatever you are able to do towards the success of the Festival. We are sure that you will enjoy this year’s programme. The Crail Festival Committee (The Royal Burgh of Crail Festival Society Trust (known as Crail Festival Society) is a Charity; Charity No SC020929 )
Please sign and date this section of the form if you wish to make your donation under the Gift Aid Scheme through which the Society can reclaim tax on the donation you make. This will in - crease each donation by 25% providing you have paid sufficient Income Tax. Signature of Taxpayer………………………………… Date …………………………… ……….
8 Scottish Government Consultation
The Scottish Government is currently running a public consultation on unconventional oil and gas in Scotland. The consultation explores the evi - dence on the potential impacts of shale oil and gas, and coal bed methane, and the technologies involved in extraction, including hydraulic fractur - ing. The consultation may be of particular interest to you as the area where the shale oil and gas re - sources have been identified is in your Commu - nity Council area. Helen Byres The consultation can be read and responded to This full bag of dog poo has been strategically via the Scottish Government’s consultation plat - placed alongside the bin outside nos 17/15 Market - form, Citizen Space, at: https://consult.scot - gate North. Lovely! It really is difficult to understand land.gov.uk/energy-and-climate-change-director why someone would do this. Wish I'd seen who left ate/fracking-unconventional-oil-and-gas/. it there. If you see evidence of this kind of behaviour it is in all our interests to report it. A response is invited to the consultation by 31 May.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION THURSDAY 4 MAY 2017 Final Date for delivery of nominations papers - 4.00pm Wednesday 29 March. Nominations are available for inspection 4.00pm 30 March to 4.00pm 3 May Deadline for applications to be included on the Register of electors Midnight 17 april Deadline for new Postal Vote Applications and for changes to existing Postal or Proxy Votes 5.00pm 18 April Deadline for new applications to vote by Proxy (not Postal Proxy, except for emergencies 5.00pm 25 April
Polling Day Thursday 4 May
Farmland can fetch £6,000-£7,000 per acre. The same land designated for development makes The Crail around £400,000-£500,000 per acre, an increase of 7,000%!"! Some people must be really pleased Seagull about the Fife Development Plan. An eye on our world What will I do with all the money I save on not Seagulls are an itinerant lot, and don’t have to buy paying for my holiday home at Fluke Dub now? the land they nest on - we just move where the The Royal Bank of Scotland closed the branch in fancy takes us, which of course is why I can have Crail last year and next, they will be closing the my summer nest at Fluke Dub and my other nest Anstruther and other branches in October. I’ll need in Crail. But my knowledgeable friend in Glen - to fly all the way to St Andrews now to make ‘de - rothes was exercised recently about how much posits’. money owners of development land can make.
Material for inclusion in Crail Matters should be sent to [email protected] and received on Friday midday before publication. We reserve the right to edit copy for length and style. Submission does not guarantee inclu - sion. © Crab Publishing 2017: Editorial Team this week: Graham Anderson, Julie Middleton, Isla Reid, Valencia Sowry, Max Taylor, John Wilson
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