The diligence and perseverance of Freuchie residents, Freuchie Community Council and Freuchie Flood Action Group ensured Lomond Group and Kingdom Housing Association made every possible investigation when considering the flood risk at the proposed development at Broomfield Place. We were informed last night of the withdrawal of this planning application due to the flood risk present at, around and downstream of the site.

Bill Banks of Kingdom Housing Association has sent us the following statement today:

Kingdom Housing Association withdraws from new-build project in Freuchie

Kingdom Housing Association has withdrawn its planning application to build 10 affordable homes at Broomfield Place / Millburn Place, Freuchie, which it had lodged in March of this year with Fife Council. This decision follows a thorough investigation of flood risk issues in the village.

A Flood Assessment Study undertaken for the Association has revealed an inadequately sized drainage pipe through the village, which also suffers from a blockage; as well as a more general lack of flood containment capacity. This flood risk situation may well be exacerbated by the proposed development; particularly as there is no current commitment to strategic service improvements proposed by the statutory authorities.

Bill Banks, Depute Chief Executive of Kingdom, expressed disappointment. ‘’The Howe of Fife is an area with a very high need for more affordable housing, and we were delighted to pursue this opportunity in Freuchie. Given concerns over flooding issues, however, we made it clear that it was never our intention to proceed with a project which could add to flood risks elsewhere in the village. As the study has not been able to demonstrate that we can safely develop at the site, we have withdrawn our interest in the project’’.

Kingdom Housing Association will continue to seek opportunities to provide badly needed affordable housing at appropriate locations in the Howe of Fife and elsewhere in Fife.

Bravo to Bill Banks for recognising this site as unsuitable for housing development. Thankfully Kingdom Housing Association’s investigations revealed the flood risk the community had warned about at the beginning of the planning process. 

The whole of Freuchie owes Kingdom Housing Association a debt of gratitude.  Their expensive investigations have revealed a far fuller picture of the flood risk on the south side of Freuchie – the lack of capacity in The Feus culvert, the blockage in this pipe, and the classification of this site and surrounding areas as ones at high risk of flooding brings even more weight to our call for a full flood study for Freuchie.

We also hope the Association finds suitable sites elsewhere in NE Fife to build the much needed affordable housing.

Let’s draw a line under this one with some final thoughts…

It is heartening to see SEPA being an effective organisation when dealing with flood risk issues, ensuring developments in flood risk areas are sufficiently understood and mitigated against.

There has been much discussion over the last year about the dissatisfaction with Fife Council Development Services and their procedures and systems. This case in particular has been an unadulterated mess causing much alarm and distress for the community. 

Thankfully the flood protection officers are doing sterling work behind the scenes when it comes to planning applications in flood risk areas.

The role of Freuchie Community Council cannot be understated. Their guidance and knowledge assisted the whole community at every stage of the planning application. 

There are also many residents who campaigned vigorously to make this a challenging planning application case. They deserve a show of appreciation for all their hours of dedicated hard work.

To the many people who supplied documentary proof of past flood events we thank you. This new evidence has strengthened our flood study campaign in no small measure.

We can now get back to dedicating all our time to the campaign for a flood study and flood protection and prevention measures for Freuchie.

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