Residents to get say on Fraser Avenue
Published 23 Mar 2012 08:10
6 Comments
RESIDENTS of Inverkeithing's Fraser Avenue are to get their say on the short-term plans for the management of the street.
The South West Fife area committee has endorsed three different options for the street and given the green light to start a formal consultation.
Councillors decided last year to bulldoze and completely redevelop Fraser Avenue but until those plans begin, there's still a need to manage and maintain the properties.
Council staff and local councillors will now discuss the options at a ward meeting and, following that, residents will be able to give their views.
The findings from the consultation will then form a five- to 10-year interim management plan for the street.
The three options for managing Fraser Avenue are 'Repair Only', 'Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS)' and 'Additional Improvements'.
'Repair Only' would see properties repaired on an 'as and when' basis and would involve Fife Council applying to the Scottish Government for an exemption to the Scottish Housing Quality Standard, on grounds that the properties will be demolished in five to 10 years.
The cost for this option is £267,842, based on the average annual cost of repairs over the last three years.
The second option would see the council maintaining properties to SHQS standard, which on top of repairs would involve installing replacement steel doors and door entry systems.
Choosing this would cost the council £475,842. The roofs in Fraser Avenue would also need to be monitored as they are close to the end of their lifespan.
'Additional Improvements' puts together the above two options, plus work to improve the appearance, safety and security of properties.
This includes lighting and painting stairwells, replacing stairwell coverings, bricking over the flats over the shops and placing timber infills into windows of vacant properties. The total cost would come to £944,940.
A fourth option, 'Fife Standard', which has higher standards than those of the SHQS, was not recommended for consideration. It would have cost more than £2million.
David Robertson, Fife Council investment and development team leader, said a "tremendous amount of work" had already been carried out in Fraser Avenue.
He added, "Because of the decision to redevelop the properties in the future it's important that we keep residents up-to-date on matters and decisions that will affect the management of the street.
"The community consultation on this interim plan will include a letter to each household which gives an explanation of all of the options and will also include an invitation to a public drop-in session at Inverkeithing Civic Centre.
"There will also be a feedback slip for those unable to attend but the public drop-in session will be the main forum for residents to express their views.
"Following those steps, the most appropriate way forward should be clear and a report will then be presented to the housing and communities committee."
Have your say. Post a comment on this article.
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itsonlyagame
17 posts
Mar 23, 14:15
Report commentAt last give the people who live in the flats a say. Is there an election round the corner.
Recommend?
Yes 7
No 1
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******
Mar 26, 13:32
Report commentThis comment has been removed by a moderator
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laughlovelive
3 posts
Mar 26, 16:16
Report commentWhy are the flats above the shops not being let? Surely lots of homeless people would be housed faster if the amount of empty flats in the street were tenanted.
Recommend? Yes 6
No 2
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B2theB
145 posts
Mar 28, 13:36
Report commentThe flats above the shops are not let because nobody will live there.
No parking, and anti-social behaviour are the biggest issue, the shops seem to be a congregation point for all the ne'er do wells.
There was a lot of problems with folks urinating (and worse) in the stairwells, and vandalism.
Re the coments about "Finally asking the residents", I lived in Fraser Ave for 10 years.
While there are undoubtedly some good people there, largely the residents are either long term residents, or descendents of previous long term residents.
The residents are the people who are responsible for the street being the way it is. Any good folks who tried to make changes for the better were either totally unsupported, or victimised !
Should they be asked their opinion ? No.
Look where their opinion has got the street so far.
The council knows who the decent residents are. These are the ones who should be consulted
Recommend? Yes 13
No 0
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cameronsdemise
33 posts
Mar 28, 21:10
Report commentI lived in the avenue a number of years ago As Well as in the cres. , Fortuneatly the Local Councillor used to get off his @ss and patrol at least once a month checking the state of all gardens and closes in the street , those in any state , other than seriously maintained, were given notice to clean up or move out ! Where are todays non descript councillors ? What happened to waste of space rennie ? ( Dunfermline and west Fife ! ) Labour cooncillors let this place run into a mess , No discipline , No decent polis since Bill Pratt And Swanson . Drugs and Dopes Rule , the polis know it but don't have the cajhonies to do anything about it . Best Foot Forward , Bulldose now and put the scum over in ( What used to be ) wards shipbreaking yard .Cooncillors name at that time was Jock Ritchie , Nae messing wi him , Pratt OR SWANNY .. Take a leaf oot o' their book . You wouldn't go far wrong !
Recommend? Yes 5
No 0
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Cenobite
39 posts
Mar 30, 01:23
Report comment@Cameronsdemise Its the same non-descript Nationalist councillor who has held Inverkeithing for years and the same Lib Dem-SNP Fife Council who have been in power since 2008 but still blame Labour.yet has Inverkeithing moved forward at all? From Asbestos scare in 2007(only removed from the one block),The papermill left to decay and burn,the redundant development in Stephens Drive,Continual parking problems,the old school left to rot,The empty library building,dumping round the quarry,still no litter/dog bins round that area,lack of development on land behind high street/beside doctors surgery/old folks home,Also how come there has been no mention of a Tesco or suchlike in Inverkeithing?
Recommend? Yes 10
No 0
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Anonymous2012
2 posts
Mar 30, 14:51
Report commentIn reference to the above post by 'benefithater': 'I'm surprised the people in Fraser Avenue can read and write'.
Really? What a disgusting, judgemental comment. If you are really as narrow minded as you appear, then you are a disgrace to yourself, and an embarrassment to humanity. I would say you should be ashamed of yourself, but then, sadly, people like you never are.
Recommend? Yes 11
No 6
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