Fife Council outline their plans for 55 play parks

It was all swings and roundabouts at the South and West Fife area committee with convener David Barratt stating it's already taken six years to get to this point.

Councillors were asked to approve the categorisation of the 55 play parks Fife Council owns in the area - including new facilities at The Bridges and Harbour Drive in Dalgety Bay - which should help improve the quality.

However, the huge amount of money needed to refurbish and replace old equipment means it's a "long term process" while 13 poorer sites that are on the slide will have their play equipment removed.

Cllr Barratt said: "This is long overdue. We've been talking about this since at least 2017.

"It shouldn't take six years to develop this kind of strategy although at the same time I appreciate we've been implementing the strategy before it's been formally approved."

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In the South and West Fife area there will be three categories of play areas: natural play spaces, "non-equipped" greenspaces with features such as logs, mounds and plants; local playparks, within five minutes' walk of most homes and with a range of play equipment for primary school and younger children; and a town playpark, which would potentially take longer to walk to and will contain more equipment, including for kids in the early years of high school.

A report to the committee explained: "Sites with play equipment have been added over the years to greenspaces, with no standard approach.

There are plans for 55 Fife Council play parks in the South and West Fife area. (Image: Pixabay)

"Many sites have less than three pieces of equipment and can’t really be called play parks.

"Many cater for pre-school children, with no equipment for primary school children or less able bodied children."

It added: "Much of the equipment will be at the end of its safe use in the next 10 years so there is a need to plan for replacement and refurbishment of sites to secure funds."

Back in September 2021, and faced with a £30 million bill to maintain and improve the sites they had, the council agreed that 146 out of their 446 play parks would not be refurbished or repaired.

Those sites will have their play equipment removed, if it hasn't been taken away already, and become natural play spaces.

In South and West Fife that includes sites at Glen Moriston Drive in Cairneyhill, Sandeman Court and the village green in Kincardine, Main Street in Newmills, Kinneddar Park in Saline, Roseberry View, Morlich Grove, Seton Place, The Haven, Whites Quay and Meadowfield, all in Dalgety Bay, and Waggon Road in Inverkeithing.

Another site, at Central Way in Dalgety Bay, is to become 'greenspace'.

Of the remaining sites, 25 will be 'improved' and 15 'maintained'.

Those to be designated as town play parks are sites at Rosyth Public Park, Limekilns, Jubilee Park in Dalgety Bay, Friary Gardens in Inverkeithing and Burn Brae Park in Kincardine.

Cllr Barratt added: "I'm pleased to see the significant investment in Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay.

"The Friary park has long attracted comments that it's insufficient and most of the equipment has been removed.

"Turning it into the main play park for Inverkeithing will take a big investment but it's long overdue and it's definitely wanted by locals.

"And the two new play parks in Dalgety Bay will also be very welcome."

Asked about budgets and timescales greenspace officer Kevin O'Kane said: "Friary Gardens could take up to £200,000 to turn into a town play park. That's a lot of money and that's just one site."