Burntisland harbour: march and rally ahead of key report on row over access
A community campaign to reinstate historic access to the breakwater at the town’s harbour is set to step up this weekend with a march and rally ahead of a key meeting.
It is the latest high profile action by Burntisland Harbour Access Trust (BHAT) which has fought for three years to have the fences removed and access opened up once again.
The hugely contentious issue stemmed from 2021 when Forth Ports got the green light from Fife Council to fence off the working part of the harbour on the grounds of health and safety and to make the site safe and secure. The move sparked a huge backlash across the community who argued the port has been used by walkers, cyclists anglers, photographers and wildlife enthusiasts for as long as anyone can remember, and is an integral part of the town.
Since the fences went up in 2022, they have been repeatedly cut open, while the campaign group has raised £9000 to secure legal advice and push the local authority to confirm it has the power to force Forth Ports to reopen the right of way.
A report on the council’s responsibilities is due to be discussed at a key meeting on August 14 - just days after the campaign and rally on Sunday, August 10. The organisers have called for a big turn out, with the march starting at 11:00am from the Beacon Car Park to the breakwater gate.
It is staging the event ahead of the meeting to “show Fife Council the strength of community feeling about access to our harbour. It meets on August 14 to discuss restoring public access and we want to send them a clear message. The more people who turn out, the stronger the message.”
A petition started by BHAT has been signed by 3000 people - the equivalent of half the town’s population - and the group said legal advice was on its side regarding statutory rights of access. It now wants Fife Council to uphold those rights, adding: “The law is on our side but we must keep up the pressure.”
The campaign group has the backing of local councillors, and David Torrance MSP for Kirkcaldy who has lodged a motion at the Scottish Parliament calling for the restoration of public access.
In a recent column in the Fife Free Press, Mr Torrance wrote: “Even when three million tons of coal a year was exported each year or when barges full of bauxite from Ghana were unloaded at the quayside, there was never an issue with walking along the breakwater, but now with the harbour almost empty, and at its lowest ever ebb access is being denied.”
In May, Councillors Kathleen Leslie and Darren Watt pushed for a have a report on the council’s legal position under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act. It tied in with a similar motion from Julie MacDougall which led to the report which will come before the Cabinet immediately after the march and rally.
At the last committee discussion on the issue, Cllr MacDougall said it was “disappointing” the matter had to come before councillors to spark progress, and criticised Forth Port’s communications with the town and community.
"The harbour is part of our lives, young and old,”she said. “We understand the need to comply with health and safety restrictions, but when communication is not forthcoming it exacerbated the situation. I hope we can finalise access rights, put this to bed and enjoy the harbour area.”
A spokesperson for Forth Ports said: “The fence was installed around areas that were deemed high risk and ensures public safety within a working port. The measure still enables the people of Burntisland to safely walk through the port, avoiding these high risk areas.
“We continue to communicate with community representatives, local politicians, and other local stakeholders on matters relating to access at the Port of Burntisland.”