Fordell recycling

Cllr. McGarry has been discussing recycling issues at Fordell Gardens.  The homes there currently only have landfill bins and some residents have asked for a recycling hub.  Officers have suggested instead that the residents be provided with green and grey bins and we will be discussing this with them in the near future.

Virgin Media

Despite North Queensferry previously being on Virgin Media’s rollout plan for ultrafast broadband, the company have decided not to proceed with the work.  A number of factors including the historic nature of the area and the complexity of engineering required means the work does not meeting the company’s cost parameters. In order for work to proceed in the short term, other approaches could be considered such as community-led projects.

Hope Street flooding

The Council is currently investigating the causes of the flooding from Whinny Hill Park, which is affecting houses in Hope Street, and it is hoped that work to address it will be instructed as soon as the outcome is known.  The Council is also trying to establish the cause of the water flow down Hope Street.  They believe it is coming from railway land and are contacting Network about it.  It might well be that there is a connection between the 2 water problems and Cllr. McGarry has asked if this could be investigated.

Fairy Kirk Quarry

We continue to receive complaints about noise and churning up of footpaths by bikes in the above area.  Elgin Estates, who own the land, have confirmed that these bikers have no permission to be using this popular walking area and the Police are trying to identify the culprits.

Muirdean Environment Trust

For various reasons, the Trust Fund had been moribund for some considerable time.  New Trustees are currently completing all the formalities and it is hoped that the Fund will be able to accept new application for funding in the very near future. Once the Trust Fund is up and running, there will be a website giving information about the Fund which will provide detail of the criteria with which applicants will be expected to comply and how to access and submit application forms.

Spittalfield allotments

The Council is considering additional allotments together with parking in the green area between the Crescent and the Road.  There will be a full public consultation before any final decisions are made but initial feedback sounds positive.

Defibrillators

We welcome the efforts of Inverkeithing Community Council and groups in North Queensferry including the Community Council who are buying public access defibrillators to be installed in the near future. So far, we understand 2 will be installed in Inverkeithing most likely at the train station and in the town square and 4 will be installed around North Queensferry including at the community centre, near the station, at the sailing club and close to the centre.

Inverkeithing parking

We are hoping to have the results of the parking survey soon and then be in a position to consider how the parking problems can be addressed. At his recent meeting with ScotRail, Cllr. Barratt was advised there may be funding from Scotrail available to help fund parking improvements near railways and this may be a source of funding we can access. We are as ever conscious that there should be a distinction between parking for locals and parking for commuters and will continue to balance these demands.

UNESCO World Heritage Plaque

Local Councillors attended the unveiling of the plaque on Battery Road which was erected to commemorate the award of UNESCO World Heritage status to the Forth Bridge in 2015.  The awarding of this accolade is not an end in itself but should be seen as an opportunity to promote the Bridge and the village to the wider world and we hope that the Council and our partners will work together to do this in a sustainable way that will bring benefits to North Queensferry and to Fife.

North Queensferry walkabout

Local Councillors, Community Councillors and Council Officers met in April for a walk-about in North Queensferry to discuss various persistent issues primarily surrounding road condition and traffic management.  The hope is that by meeting onsite and discussing issues on the ground it will be easier to address problems in a timely manner and gain a better understanding of the more complex issues.