THE public are about to get their first look at the masterplan for an "exciting leisure and ecotourism destination" next to junction 4 of the M90 motorway.
Anyone going to the drop-in sessions in Kingseat and Kelty can view the proposals for converting the old St Ninian's opencast coal mine into a major visitor attraction.
A proposal of application notice (PAN) has now been submitted to Fife Council which gives landowners National Pride 12 weeks for public consultation before they can table a more detailed application for planning permission in principle.
As part of that there are drop-in sessions in Kingseat Community Centre on Thursday, February 8, and in Kelty Community Centre on Thursday, March 7, both from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.
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Irene Bisset, director of National Pride (St Ninian's) Ltd, previously told the Press: “We are very excited about the enormous potential of this astonishing site.
"As custodians, we take our responsibilities very seriously and our aim is to deliver an attractive, welcoming place for all.”
The aim is to turn 976 acres into an eco-wellness and leisure park, with a spa complex, tree houses, lodges, geodesic domes and a technology park, as well as restoring the trout fishery and creating an aquatic centre at Loch Fitty.
The community interest company will use green technology to produce renewable energy, work with locals to create long-term employment, offer training opportunities and build an arts, museum of mining history and entertainment centre, which will also host conferences.
There are also plans to showcase "local and national gastronomic excellence" with food from local producers and goods grown on site and, in a further bid to boost visitor numbers, they've given their support for a national memorial at Kelty to commemorate the thousands of Scots who were killed for being a witches.
National Pride said the "exciting leisure, entertainment and tourism destination" was "one in a series of wellness centres designed to meet an ever-increasing need for places close to nature for mental health and well-being".
The former mine is next to junction 4 of the M90, on the other side of the motorway from Kelty, and the site includes the remains of the land art created by Charles Jencks for the Fife Earth Project.
First outlined in May 2021, the idea is that, by creating a beautiful and restful parkland, it will encourage more people to enjoy the great outdoors, bring them closer to nature and provide physical and mental therapy and relaxation.
They added that sufferers of cancer, heart disease, pulmonary ailments, obesity and diabetes will benefit from an oxygen-rich ‘eco-environment’, created through sensitive planting of trees and other flora, with "open air theatres" within the woodlands.
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