Kelty Community Action Plan 2016-2021 Kelty Community Action Plan 2016-2021 Contents
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Kelty Community Action Plan 2016-2021 Kelty Community Action Plan 2016-2021 Contents ɀ Introduction . 3 ɀ Our Community Now . 4-6 ɀ Our Community’s Vision for Kelty . 4-7 ɀ Kelty Likes . 9 ɀ Kelty Dislikes . 8 ɀ Themes and Priorities for Action . 10-14 ɀ Links to Fife Community Plan . 15 ɀ Early Actions Identified in the Community . 15 ɀ Making it happen . 16 Coalfields Community Futures The Coalfields Community Futures Programme is an approach to local community planning and sustainable community development that aims to encourage active citizenship and build local democracy. It enables communities to devise a community action plan which makes a case for the things that the community thinks are important and wishes to make happen. The process builds on existing processes of community action research to identify local needs and priorities, using residents as co-researchers. We work with local residents and groups to develop a common sense of purpose and assist them to produce a deliverable community action plan. To support the action planning process the community receive a Participatory Budget which is available to local constituted community or voluntary groups. This budget enables the community to fund small projects that are identified by the community through the results of the household surveys, stakeholder interviews and the Open Event. These projects are aimed at being Soon, Seen and Successful. 2 Kelty Community Action Plan Introduction ɀ 208 Community Surveys were returned representing approx. 460 residents ɀ 9 Stakeholder interviews took place with local groups, schools, business and support organisations ɀ 255 people attended the Community Futures Open Event Kelty Community Action Plan The Action Plan summarises community views and information about: ɀ Our community now ɀ Vision for Kelty ɀ Priority themes and actions Kelty Community Futures Steering Group The Steering Group brought together representatives from Kelty Community Council, Kelty Bowling Club, Moray Institute Development Trust, Blairadam Fields Action Group, Kelty Knitting Group. Thanks go to everyone who took part in helping Kelty plan for a bright future. In remembrance: During the process of producing this action plan one of our steering group members passed away suddenly. We would like to recognise the life of David Love and his great contribution toward the Kelty Community Action Plan. In his earlier years David supported the young people in the village as a youth worker. David was a well respected member of the Kelty community committing most of his adult life to supporting many local groups including the Bowling Club and the new community centre management group. Although he did not have any children of his own it was quite clear that he saw the people of Kelty as his family. David Love will be missed greatly by all in the community. 3 Kelty Community Action Plan 2016-2021 Our Community Now Background This Profile has been produced to give an insight into the Kelty area. It is part of a wider Community Futures process being delivered by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust across Scotland’s coalfield communities to assist them to reflect on what is good, what could be improved and how. The village of Kelty lies immediately to the east of the M90 motorway just before, if you are heading north, it passes from Fife into Perth & Kinross. To its east is Loch Ore and, beyond, the villages of Ballingry and Lochore, while a little over a mile and a half to the south east is Cowdenbeath. A settlement was established here by 1600, when "Keltey" appeared as a village on the line of the coach road between Edinburgh (via the ferry) and Perth. Development of Kelty really took off with the arrival of the branch railway from Cowdenbeath to Kinross in 1860. "Arrival" is a slight overstatement as Kelty Station lay some distance to the east of the village, but it nonetheless led to the transformation of the village and the surrounding area. Coal mining may well have taken place in the area on a small scale as early as the beginning of the 1800s, but it was only after the coal could be transported by rail that the area's huge reserves began to be exploited fully. The Fife Coal Company was established in 1872, by which time three deep mines had already been sunk in the area. At the height of the coal boom, the population of Kelty reached some 9,000. It has since reduced to nearer 5,500, and in the half century since the closure of the deep mines Kelty, like villages in other parts of the Fife coalfield and elsewhere in Scotland, have had to face the difficult task of adapting to very different economic circumstances. Kelty's deep mining heritage is remembered today in the form of a life-sized statue of a miner, recently moved from outside Kelty Library to the entrance of the new community centre.This serves as a memorial to all the men who lost their lives in the Kelty collieries. Kelty itself was bypassed by the M90 motorway in 1970, and since then it has existed for most people only as a sign beside a motorway junction. Those who take the slight detour through the village find a place of considerable character. While deep mining may be long gone, coal extraction carries on in the form of open cast mining. The most obvious site is at St Ninians, immediately to the west of the M90 just south of Kelty. Population The population resident in the area taken from Mid-Year Estimates (ONS) 2013 was 5,475. The area profile shows this is due to a gradual increase in population over the years. From 2001 to 2011 there was a consistent rise leading to a 20% increase in population. Future projections are likely to significantly increase the rate of population growth due to plans for major housing developments in the area in the next few years. 4 Kelty Community Action Plan Housing The spread of household size broadly reflects the picture for Scotland as a whole with 58.7% owner occupiers ( Scotland wide 62%). This figure is set to rise in Kelty with plans underway for further private housing developments in the near future. This may push Kelty into a position where it sits above the national average for private home owners. The greatest disparity is in the Local Authority Rented figures that shows Kelty has just over 30% of people living in council rented homes as against 13.2% in Scotland as a whole. Regarding Housing Association tenants, there are just under 3% as opposed to just over 11% in Scotland. Source Census 2011 Health The average age of people with good health or people with a limiting long term illness roughly equates to Scotland as a whole with 23.7% of residents living with a limiting long term illness (Scotland figures 19.6%). Health and other services are accessed from the local health clinics in the Main Street. Waiting times are an issue for some. Source Census 2011 Employment and the Economy More people are economically active (68%) than inactive (32%) and of these less are self-employed (4.7%) compared to Scotland as a whole (7.5%) In Kelty, the job breakdown shows that 41% are full time employees with 13.5% in part time work. Source Census 2011 Fife Council’s website shows that Kelty has 142 companies operating within it. Some of the top listed businesses include: Builders, Hairdressers, Boarding Kennels, Groceries and Convenience Stores, Electricians, Farmers, Party Planning, Dog Grooming, Picture Framers, Car Dealers - Used Cars, Embroidery Shop, Carpenter, Stone Cleaners and Restorers, Community Centre, Newsagents, Fish and Chips, Garage, Supermarket, Catteries ,Beauty Salon and Florist . Baxter’s Home Farm is located on the outskirts of Kelty next to the exit onto the M90. It has a large housewares’ shop with a coffee shop included. Education and Skills: Qualifications The % of households where residents aged 16-74 have no qualifications is 32.5% which is above the Scotland average of 26.8%. In relation to those with Level 4+ (degree) qualifications, Kelty is significantly lower at 14.9% than Scotland as a whole at 26.1%. Source Census 2011 5 Kelty Community Action Plan 2016-2021 Social and Community The town centre has a good variety of shops and has the feeling of a traditional high street, including a Co Operative and a newly opened Costcutters store. There are several public houses, community halls, cafes and churches. It also has an increasing number of community organisations with several annual events including the Kelty Coal Race and Kelty Gala. Regarding community spaces, Kelty has a new community centre. This building hosts the library and the Fife Council local office as well as a focus on offering facilities for indoor sports activity. The Moray Institute is another community building that is currently owned by Fife Council and is due to close with the opening of the new community centre. The community is actively working to take ownership of the building as well its management and to run it for the benefit of the community. Environment Kelty is well located for access to nature including woodland walks and cycle paths at Blairadam Wood. It has three major trails that wind through the wood with an attractive mix of mighty spruces and colourful beech woodland. William Adam, the noted Scottish architect, built Blairadam House here in the 1730s and landscaped the surrounding estate. He also built pits to extract coal. Kelty has access to water sports at Lochore Meadows Country Park and the RSPB Nature Reserve at Loch Leven, all within a few miles of the village.