USING the remainder of the bing at the old Comrie Colliery to cap the ash lagoons at Low Valleyfield is a "win-win" for the West Fife villages.

The unique deal struck by Fife Council between Comrie Development Company and Scottish Power will also improve the local landscape significantly by tidying up environmental issues at two former industrial sites.

As well as removing a long-standing eyesore and creating an opportunity for the redevelopment of the colliery, the project will allow the capping of the ash lagoons to be completed.

Councillor Altany Craik said: “This is a win-win for West Fife. Two sites with a legacy of the coal and power industries in Fife are helping each other to tackle environmental issues and improve the environment for local communities.”

The ash lagoons were formed in the 1970s to take the residue from burning coal at Longannet Power Station, which was shut down by Scottish Power in 2016.

The fact that it closed earlier than expected left a shortage of material to complete the infilling of the lagoons.

During periods of dry and windy weather, locals in Valleyfield and Torryburn were affected when ash was blown from the site into the villages and some lagoons were flooded to stop this happening.

It was never intended as a long-term solution and planning permission was granted to Scottish Power in September 2020 to cap them.

The council’s economic development and planning teams put the companies together to make the project happen and Cllr Craik added: “This is an excellent example of Fife Council aligning its different teams to improve our environment, tackle issues from our industrial past, attract new investment and provide positive results for our communities.”

Following a site search for suitable material, the Comrie bing was tested and found to be the ideal material for use in capping the lagoons.

A legacy of deep mining at the former colliery, it consists largely of sandstone and limestone dug from the ground to allow access to the coal seams below.

The council’s head of planning, Pam Ewen, said: “I’m delighted that we are working with all the parties involved to make the most of this unique opportunity to assist the rehabilitation of the Comrie Colliery site by putting what’s left of the Comrie bing to good use at another site in West Fife that has experienced problems in the past.”

I&H Brown are moving the remainder of the bing to the Low Valleyfield site over 60 weeks, with lorries routed via the Clackmannanshire and Kincardine bridges to minimise the impact of heavy traffic on local villages.

Comrie Colliery opened in 1939 and the remainder of the bing occupies just under two hectares of the 160-hectare site, which was abandoned by the coal board when the colliery closed in 1986.

The site has been restored progressively over the past decade and discussions between the new owners, Comrie Development Company, and the council are at an early stage regarding possible after-uses once the last of the bing has been removed.

Local community councils have been kept up to date with the possible redevelopment plans, with the potential to turn an eyesore site into a mixed use development providing jobs for local people as a key part of the scheme.

Scottish Power has agreed a biodiversity enhancement management plan for the ash lagoons site with NatureScot, RSPB Scotland and the council.

This will safeguard the future of the site following the capping process, allowing it to maintain its role as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and an important habitat for wintering birds.