MOVES to open an art house cinema, convert St Margaret’s House into a backpacker’s hostel and start digital walking tours with an accompanying soundtrack of Dunfermline are under way.

Proposals to transform Bruce Street into a 'covered' street and pedestrianised zone, as well as a new skatepark and enterprise hub for new start-up businesses, are also progressing.

A new 25-page booklet, telling Dunfermline’s story and listing its historic and cultural attractions, will soon be printed and distributed to around 400 town centre businesses and local talents will be able to exhibit in gallery 3 at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries (DCLG).

They’re just part of one overall plan to improve the town and have developed from ideas the general public dreamed up for Design Dunfermline in April last year.

The four-day charrette encouraged local people to create a vision for Dunfermline and more than 400 people outlined what they wanted to see in the town.

Just over a year on, the Press sat down for an update with Grant Williams, Derek Bottom and Joe McGuinness, who are all involved with Dunfermline Heritage Partnership.

Derek, who chairs the partnership, said: “It's progressing well. There are always aspects you wish would move faster but there is a will to make things happen and a confidence that's been built up."

They've got plenty to work on.

The ideas from Design Dunfermline were worked into an action plan, focusing on the best way to create a town centre for living in, where enterprise could thrive, that is well connected, great to visit and welcoming to all.

To help it go ahead, the partnership secured funding of £444,000 from the lottery, the Scottish Government, Fife Council, Fife Cultural Trust, Carnegie Dunfermline Trust and Dunfermline Delivers.

And progress is being made.

Derek said their approach was based on bringing different people and groups together, finding out what’s possible and assisting the volunteers who are passionate about the project to go ahead and make it a success.

He added: "If you want to see a different world, you have to get involved in changing it. You can't delegate it all to someone else."

The Friends of Dunfermline have plans for a consultation on opening an art house cinema in the town, a new skatepark and a Well Centre.

And the gap site on High Street could become a space for anything from a hotel, new homes and stepped gardens to a music zone, stage for street theatre and a play area.

There are also advanced talks on greater community use of Gallery 3 at DCLG.

Grant said: "We're looking at next year and one theme for example would be pilgrimage, we'd put that on in June to tie in with the St Margaret's Pilgrimage in Dunfermline, and another would be song and dance, which would tie in with the Outwith Festival in September.

"It needs to be led by the community but the opportunity is there and we're talking to a lot of people about it."

There's also Touch 90, which will see a group of 90-year-olds share their reminiscences of what the town was like in the post-war era.

Their stories will then be taken by a Dunfermline playwright and turned into a play to be performed at next year's Outwith Festival.

The Maygate building that was previously a temporary library while work was taking place at DCLG is earmarked as the enterprise hub.

One of their "shovel-ready" projects is St Margaret's House.

Derek said: "That would become a boutique hostel. It's owned by Fife Council and the Common Good Fund so there are no real issues in acquiring the building, it's all about transforming it for backpacker accommodation. It would also fit in with the new pilgrim route opening in July."

Also coming this summer will be 'self-guided' digital tours thanks to £200,000 funding from Scottish Enterprise, with state-of-the-art digital technology used on walking expeditions.

One idea is to include music from famous local acts like Big Country and Barbara Dickson on a soundtrack for the town, possibly with songs from some of the huge talents that have played in the town before, such as David Bowie, The Who and Elton John.

Also under way are reviews of waste management and parking in the town centre, discussions about bringing empty buildings back to life, moves to teach traditional building skills and a project to clean up the 'Wee Glen' that would enable future site developments.

Pocket cycling/walking guides have been published, there's backing for a youth music scene in high schools, plans to re-run the Macastory sessions – which taught Dunfermline's story "from Queen Margaret to the Skids in 75 minutes!" to pupils – and progress on a Fife Film Project.

There's still an "ambition" to link the town's main transport hubs by electric bus but an admission that "significant funding" would be needed.