A MEETING to discuss damage to homes caused by flooding in Cairneyhill has taken place this week.

Villagers and representatives from Fife Council and Stantec, who have been commissioned by the local authority to carry out a flood study in the area, gathered on Tuesday.

Potential measures to reduce flooding in Cairneyhill were presented, though Councillor Graeme Downie, who represents West Fife and Coastal Villages, expressed "frustration" at the long wait for work to begin.

He said: "There is clearly a lot of concern about flooding in Cairneyhill, shown by it being standing room-only at the event this evening."

"It was good to hear an update on the flood study and how future damage to homes can be avoided in future.

"What is most frustrating is the time it is taking for decisions to be made, funding to be secured and, ultimately, work to begin.

"Much of that lies at the door of the Scottish Government, who would be providing the lion's share of funding, but I have spoken to Cllr Jan Wincott as well to make sure Fife Council is doing all it can and hope she will be able to attend a future meeting with the community as well to hear their concerns in more detail. "

Members of the community council also raised concerns over Ogilvie Homes' plans for 70 new houses on the western edge of the village, with Avant also due to start work on phase two of their development in the same area.

Janet Davidson, secretary, said: "The village can't even cope with the water already here. The outcome is still not clear, it looks like the Scottish Government are holding all the cards.

"It's possible the option presented is not acceptable, then do we just accept that this village floods?"

She added that last week, during heavy rainfall, homes were damaged due to flooding and a fire crew was called.

Prior to the meeting at Cairneyhill Primary School, Cllr Wincott, Fife Council’s spokesperson for environment and climate change, said: "The devastation and disruption caused by flooding has a huge impact.

"As we’ve experienced, flooding can cause damage to roads, structures, private properties and council buildings, as well as disruption to services.

"Climate change is here to stay and the impacts of storm events like we had in August 2020 highlight the importance of regular, proactive maintenance and developing plans to lessen the impact on areas at risk.

"Working with communities and partners to build resilience and improve how we prepare for these events in the future is key. I would encourage people to come along to our public meetings and share their views with us so that we can continue to develop how we can prevent and minimise the impact flooding has."