ST. MONANS AND ABERCROMBIE COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Minute of the ordinary general meeting held in the Church Hall, Station Road on Monday 19 th August 2024 at 7.30 pm

Present: Marjory Ashworth (Chair), Eileen Montador (Secretary), Niamh Syme (Social Media), Cllr Fiona

Corps, Cllr Sean Dillon, Cllr Alycia Hayes

Apologies: David Robertson (Treasurer), Morven Syme (Vice Chair), Diane Martin (Minute Secretary)
Members of the public: 9

1. Welcome and apologies.
   Marjory Ashworth welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were received and recorded.
2. Declarations of interest
   There were no declarations of interest.
3. Reports from Community Groups
   Gardening Group – report by Alison Childs
   Everything was planted in June and all plants grown from seed have been used. The wet weather and the
   community watering is going to plan, and thanks are extended to David Robertson for organising the
   watering of the hanging baskets. Plans for the winter tubs have still to be made but will likely start in
   September. Marjory Ashworth asked for a contact name for the group to pass onto a possible future
   volunteer. Eileen Montador added that she had received an email from someone in East Shore, expressing
   appreciation for all the group does to enhance the village.
   Sea Queen – report by Vicky Robertson
   This was a very successful weekend and there is now a strong committee of 6 people who will be involved in
   the planning for next year. There may be some changes next year with the return of boats and a separate
   quiz and food festival to provide the community with two different events.
   Community Larder – report by Alison Childs
   Larder is going well, and the group has just received funding from the National Lottery for £5000 – this is
   not for food to be given out, but it can be used in the winter for heating/warm space and the provision of
   soup etc. There are about 40/50 people attending each week and there is a definite need for this service
   from the village and out with St Monans.
   Memorial Garden – report by Marjory Ashworth
   This is planned for the bottom of Station Road. Bill Porteous is chasing this up as we are still waiting on
   obtaining the lease. Cllr Dillon agreed to chase this up.
   SMAKE – report by Marjory Ashworth
   Forms are away to apply to become a company limited by guarantee. At the Sea Queen day, there was a
   display showing the proposals for the church and these were received positively by the public. A similar
   display will be shown during the Arts Festival weekend. Community engagement is required to help secure
   the next lot of funding.
4. Previous minutes and matters arising
    Heritage is still seeking volunteers – 2 recent successful fundraisers – psychic night and book signing
    24 Newark St – new tenant has moved in – concerns due to recent visits by police etc, condition of
   garden
    26 Newark St – condition of garden
    Noticeboard at the bottom of Station Road – Steve Collier will fix this sometime this week
    24 Station Road fence – Access Officer and Fife Coast and Countryside Trust have been in

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attendance – FCCT have erected fence and blocked right of way due to safety concerns.
 Pothole in Gourlay Cresent has been filled
The previous minutes were proposed by Eileen Montador and seconded by Niamh Syme.

5. Police matters and report
   There were no representatives present or paper report available from the police.
   Cllr Dillon advised 25 calls were made to the police with 6 crimes recorded. Public encouraged to get in
   touch with the police about any issues/concerns. Joanna Peddie has resigned from her post.
6. Chairperson’s report – report by Marjory Ashworth
    Appreciation for the flowers around the village over the summer months
    Thanks to the Sea Queen committee for their work resulting in a successful day.
    Online survey completed for a student in Glasgow regarding resilience/preparation for an
   emergency event in the area
7. Treasurer’s report
   Via email:
    Financially everything is doing well.
    Heritage has done very well with donations recently.
    An up-to-date report will be made available once it is finalised.
8. Secretary’s report
    C17 Abercrombie road closure on 11 th September 2024 – telephone work
    Email from Polish society– operation Market Garden 80 years – Niamh will put on Social Media
    £50 donated to Tidal Pool contingency bank account from a couple who visited recently
    Would appreciate the email addresses of contacts for all community groups
    Concerns about drug/mental health issues of some new residents in the village. Community council
   to be made/kept aware of this.
    Ruby Bay left in a poor state following wild campers visit. Human waste. Raised at CC as many from
   St Monans use this area.
9. Members’ Reports
   Morven Syme (Vice Chair) – planning report read by Niamh Syme
    9 Station Road – new doors
    9 West Street – change of use from shop to dwelling flat and listed building consent for internal and
   external to include installation of replacement windows and opening roof lights and reconfiguration
   and removal of internal partitions.
    2 Mid Shore – part change of use from dance studio to dwelling flat and installation of roof lights
   and replacement windows.
    16 Miller Terrace – Installation of French Windows
    Old Post Office – change of use has been applied for it will come to planning committee before its
   extended statutory deadline of October 14th. 
   Mervyn Blank
    Thanks for gap being filled in steps down to windmill.
    Query re rules for tidal pool – use of canoes and by swimmers. All enter at their own risk.
    Are there any speed spotters in Abercrombie?
   Niamh Syme (Social Media)
    No report
10. Councillors’ Reports
    Cllr Dillon

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St Monans Cemetery:
Last week the Cabinet Committee approved the Cemetery Strategy 2023 – 28. As part of this, the pre-sale of
lairs will cease in order to alleviate some of the capacity pressures. As previously highlighted, St Monans
Cemetery will reach capacity in the next few years. However, I spoke with the Service Manager of
Bereavement Services in advance of this committee report, and they have informed me that contact will be
made with Balcaskie Estate in the coming weeks to begin the process of purchasing land for an extension.
Over the summer, I have received a number of complaints about the poor condition that the cemetery has
been in. I mentioned this to the Service Manager, and they have assured me that it will be cleaned up as
soon as possible.
Express Bus Services:
From the 29 th of July, Stagecoach took the decision, without any consultation, to stop their Express Services
(X60/61) from serving almost 40 stops between St Andrews and Leven. Now, the only bus stop in St Monans
to be served by the X60/61 is at Elm Grove (Station Road).
I am deeply concerned by this decision, the lack of publicity it received, and the impact it has on elderly and
less mobile members of our community and have created a petition calling for a rethink, which can be
accessed at https://www.change.org/SaveOurStops.
I have also written to the Chief Executive of Stagecoach East Scotland expressing my concerns and have
received a positive response which states that they will review the situation after 90 days and are open to
reinstating at least some bus stops.
Fife Council Bus Network Survey:
Earlier this year, funding was made available to undertake a study of the bus network in Fife, focusing on
the council’s supported services. In the East Neuk, this means the 95 service however, you can comment
about any other services you use.
The transport consultant WSP has been appointed to undertake this work which will involve the analysis of
the supported bus network will assess its performance, connectivity, customer needs and value for money.
In particular this work will look at options for the council to run its own buses as opposed to contracting
services in order assess if better value can be achieved and/or allow greater control/flexibility and improved
connectivity.
The survey can be accessed at https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/BusFife/ and is open until the 2nd of
September. If you use the bus services regularly, please take the time to complete this survey and if you
know of anyone else that regularly uses the bus, encourage them to do so too.
 Milton Farm bus stop not in use.
 New houses bus stop in St Monans – definitely happening and will be for the 95 buses
Cllr Corps
 Small volunteer groups (officially and unofficially) looking after cemeteries.
 Overcrowding in graveyards – Council trying to contact families re unused spaces in family plots
 Speeding past new houses – request made for count down signs at West of village. Also, the issue
raised about speeding in Abercrombie. Police to enforce but there are many pressures on their
time.
Cllr Hayes
Have your say on the performance, connectivity, and value for money of bus services in Fife.
We are carrying out a survey to understand how the council’s supported bus network in Fife is performing
and whether it is meeting your needs.
Take a few minutes to complete the survey, and share your views on what is working well, and what
opportunities there are to improve. The survey closes on 1 September 2024.
Click the link in the comments to fill out the survey.

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https://www.fife.gov.uk/bussurvey
I have a meeting with the Council’s head of transport on 20 th August to discuss the Council’s support for
restoring some of the lost stop or to see if the Council can do anything to mitigate.
Temporary Road Closure C17 Abercrombie
WHERE? C17 Abercrombie, adjacent to Crombie Cottage. The alternative route for vehicular traffic is via
C17, A917 St Monans and B942. Access for emergency services, residents and pedestrians will be
maintained.
WHEN? 11/09/24 from 09.30hrs to 15.30hrs, or until earlier completion of the works.
WHY? To allow BT Openreach works to be carried out in safety.
WHO? Sunbelt Rentals UK is responsible for these works and can be contacted as follows:- Contact Tel:
03700500792 www.fife.gov.uk/notices August 202
Repairs Noted on Faults System. Coal Farm drains also noted, but not in Frame.

Access Officer and FCCT visited the old right of way between Station Road and Braehead. They Concluded
“The route is not safe for walking and FCCT took action to fence it off to make it safe and prevent further
erosion. We do not plan on taking any further action on this matter.”
Make sure you get your Education Maintenance Application (EMA) application in by 30 September, if
you’re eligible, so we can backdate it to the start of the school term.
If you don’t, then you’ll only get your EMA from the date we receive your application.
Don’t miss out! To see if you qualify and to apply visit www.fife.gov.uk/ema
Reports of Lights out in George Terrace and the Cribbs with an emergency lighting outage in Rose Street.
Have they been fixed? No
Have the blind summit signs I asked for been installed yet? No – to be chased up
I have written to Street Cleansing about overflowing public bins and requested additional emptying.

12. Public Questions
     Dawsie – grass over gully and road – Cllr Dillon to take this forward to Council
     Burn path – brambles and overgrown between church and railway – Cllr Dillon to take this forward
    to Council
     Bins on Station Road – Cllr Hayes
     Hedge on path to church – built in garden – overgrown – private hedge? – identify the correct
    house before taking any action here.
13. AOCB
     Arts Festival Ceilidh this weekend 24 th August– tickets still available

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 Arts Festival weekend 7 th -8 th September – programmes available – always a great atmosphere in the
village. All workshops are free to attend.
 Headway – new branch opening in the St David’s centre in St Andrews – for people affected by head
injuries. Niamh will notify via social media. This will be held on a Thursday once per month.

14. Close/date and time of next meeting
    The next meeting will be held on Monday 16 th September 2024 at 7.00/7.30 pm. Marjory Ashworth
    thanked everyone for their attendance and brought the meeting to a close.