PLANS to clean up Dalgety Bay's radiation-contaminated beach have taken another step forward with the Ministry of Defence requesting for a screening of proposals.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has asked Fife Council to screen its proposals to remediate the site to see if an environmental impact assessment will be required.

The request comes on the back of the signing of the first of the necessary access agreements between the MoD and Dalgety Bay Sailing Club, paving the way for the start of essential wildlife surveys before future remediation projects get under way.

In July 2014, defence chiefs agreed in principle to remove the radioactive particles and take other measures to deal with the contamination, if it received firm agreement from Fife Council.

Work is expected to be carried out in phases and completed by the end of 2018. Costs have not been finalised by have been reported to be around £10million.

The plans, endorsed by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), include the reinforcement and replacement of coastal rock armour, and a replacement slipway at the sailing club.

A supporting statement from the DIO's agents, Edinburgh-based AECOM, said implementation of the now agreed management strategy was progressing, and requires the following work:

- installing a geotextile membrane and protective rock armour to stop radium contamination getting into the foreshore;

- replacing and reinforcing existing coastal armour with a geotextile underneath to prevent contamination;

- removing highly active radium material from selected foreshore areas;

- reprofiling the foreshore and placing the geotextile membrane and rock armour to isolate the contamination; and

- removing and replacing the existing jetty and slipway at the sailing club, to allow screening for radioactive particles underneath.

A habitats regulation appraisal (HRA) is also underway due to the proximity of the work to nature conservation sites.

The MoD has been criticised for “dragging their heels” over the length of time it has taken to clean up the polluted beach.

The radiation, discovered in 1990, is from World War II aircraft dials that were coated with luminous paint containing radium-226.