CONTROVERSIAL proposals to build a £10 million, 300-feet high national monument in West Fife were discussed in the Scottish Parliament last week.

Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, suggested Citizen Spire, the brainchild of artist Ian Moir, could be erected at Junction 4 of the M90 at Kelty. 

That would be next to the Land Art project, the much-vaunted scheme designed by Charles Jencks for the restoration of St Ninians opencast mine, which was left half finished when Scottish Coal went bust.

Mr Rowley was one of four guest speakers in Fire Station Creative in Dunfermline last Wednesday evening who are backing the bid to build the spire.

He then brought up the ambitious project, described as West Fife’s Angel of the North, during members’ business at Holyrood when tourism was being discussed.

Mr Rowley said: “I spoke at an event in Dunfermline last night where we were launching an ambitious programme for a national artwork to be in the Dunfermline area up at Kelty at Junction 4. 

“The point I made was that far too often we have that wonderful new bridge (Queensferry Crossing), the two other wonderful bridges (Forth Road Bridge and Forth Bridge) and people are going to Edinburgh for tourism. 

“They then come across the bridges right through Fife and out the other side and up to the Highlands. We need to do more for people to stay in Fife.”

Mr Moir is confident the funds can be found to pay for the spire and expects tourists would help recuperate the initial cost very quickly.

An exhibition on the project has just finished and he said: “The show was a huge success and achieved its aim of raising public awareness at local and national level. Support has been overwhelmingly positive so far and everything is going in the right direction."

It’s the first time a site has been publicly put forward and Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville suggested she may have recommendations in mind.

She said: “I’m sorry I missed him (Alex Rowley) at Fire Station Creative last night, I heard it went very well. There are other places for Citizen Spire that I would suggest in the Dunfermline constituency, but we will take that for another conversation.”