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Chamber

Plenary, 31 May 2006

31 May 2006 · S2 · Plenary

Item of business

Fife's Coastline

May, Christine Lab Central Fife Watch on SPTV

I welcome the opportunity to talk about Fife's coastline and I am grateful to Andrew Arbuckle for lodging the motion for this afternoon's debate.

A significant length of the Fife coastline lies within my constituency and many of my constituents have made their livelihoods along it. The coastal towns of Leven, Methil and most of Buckhaven all lie within Central Fife and each of those settlements has a long and proud tradition of using the land, water and resources of the coast. Those traditions carry on to this day, albeit perhaps in a different way and in different proportions from those of previous times.

Fishing, although not quite to the same extent as previously, continues in Buckhaven. We used to have a significant trawler fleet that sold fish up and down the coast as far as Kirkcaldy.

As many of us will know from walking along Fife's beaches, sea coal is still washed up and is testament to our mining tradition.

We used to import and export coal, pig-iron and other heavy materials using the railway line that ran down to Methil docks. Many of us hope that that line will be restored as a passenger line serving the community of Leven and I am delighted to see that that is now contained within the Fife structure plan. From the expressions on colleagues' faces, I know that we all share that ambition for that community.

Our coastal towns were involved in shipbuilding. Many of them were also used to supply our fleets during the last war. We recently unveiled a memorial in Buckhaven—some of us were there—to remember the young people who were killed in a tragic accident after they picked up a mine that then exploded.

In the 1970s we had engineering and fabrication for the oil industry. Finally, of course, we have tourism. Leven is still a holiday destination for many from the west of Scotland who keep up a tradition that has gone on for many years.

Last Friday night, I attended a presentation—which I believe was repeated on Saturday—that was organised under the auspices of the National Theatre of Scotland. Along with children from Kirkland high school and its feeder primary schools, the folk from Lauder College and members of the community put on a stunning performance at the facility at Methil docks about what the Fife coastline and towns were like in olden times. Through a series of tableaux, they expressed their hopes for the future and their memories of the past. The presentation culminated in a magnificent firework display over Methil number 3 dock. I just wish that more had been able to attend that event.

The economic life of the Fife coast continues. The proposed energy park at Methil, which will replace what used to be the RGC (Offshore) Ltd fabrication yard, will be involved in a groundbreaking fabrication project for the offshore wind industry. If successful, the project could bring many jobs and be worth billions of pounds to our economy.

We have the regeneration of the towns, led by groups from the community, together with the council, Scottish Enterprise Fife and others. We also have the coastal strategy, which determines the uses to which various parts of the coastline will be put. I support others in urging the minister to see what can be done to prevent what I, too, believe is a disaster waiting to happen—the proposed transfer of oil between ships using swinging anchors, out in what I still consider to be open water. The minister knows my views on the subject.

We must consider the environmental uses to which our coastline is put and the economy of the coastline. I regret that the environmental study of the coast that has been done does not address the issue of economic impact. I look forward to hearing what the minister has to say, and again congratulate Andrew Arbuckle.