A STEP forward has been taken in plans to rebuild Aberdour Harbour footbridge which collapsed when storms raged through the village last year.

To minimise the possibility of failure in the future, designs for the replacement bridge have been submitted suggesting the best way forward is to increase its span from five metres to seven metres.

A corrosion-resistant fibre-reinforced bridge has been proposed as the best solution which has an expected shelf-life of 120 years.

Fife Council officers say a temporary access road will be required in the field to the north of the bridge.

Conservation area consent is also required due to the need to take down small sections of the existing boundary walls to accommodate the increased span.

Fife Council told the Press in the summer that they hoped to be on site "towards the end of the year".

Flooding wreaked havoc in Aberdour on August 11 and 12 last year.

There was significant structural damage to the footbridge at Harbour Sands, which was simply swept away from the weight of water arriving at the shoreline in the village.

As many as 20 properties were hit by extreme rainfall levels and some villagers were forced to move out of their homes.

A road collapsed along the private section of Shore Road above Black Sands Beach where the force of the floodwater gouged a ravine through the sand.

Rain gauge data provided by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) revealed just how extreme the weather was.

The nearest monitor for Aberdour at Kinghorn indicated that the area experienced levels that were a one-in-a-640-year event.

For the past year, the Fife Coastal Path at Harbour Sands has been left without a footbridge and there have been diversions in place.

The council removed the bridge completely as it was a danger to the public and funding had to be sought for its replacement.

The latest report says consultation with environmental stakeholders SEPA, Marine Scotland, Forth Fisheries Board and Forth Rivers Trust is ongoing.

Specialist advice has been obtained from the Lime Centre to carry out the works correctly.