New play parks open in Wemyss villages

Two play parks in the Wemyss villages have been given a new lease of life after significant investment.

The revamped play spaces in both East and West Wemyss were opened to the public earlier this month as part of an ongoing rolling improvement programme across the Levenmouth area.

Around £70,000 has been spent on new equipment at West Wemyss, while around £60,000 has been spent at The Haugh play area in East Wemyss.

Both projects came about following discussions with the local community and local representatives who helped co-design the finished parks.

Councillor Colin Davidson, convener of the Levenmouth Area Committee, said: “The completion of these two play areas, along with others in the pipeline, shows the commitment in the Levenmouth area to improve its key play space assets in line with our communities' local priorities.”

Fife Council is creating better quality and more inclusive play spaces throughout the region, and a clear basis on which to prioritise capital investment for play park refurbishment has been supported by local councillors.

Within the Levenmouth committee area, there are 46 Fife Council-maintained sites with play equipment varying from two pieces of equipment to the likes of Letham Glen.

Much of the equipment will be at the end of its safe use in the next 10 years so there is a need to plan for replacement and refurbishment of sites to secure funds.

With that in mind, parks in Levenmouth have been categorised into town play parks, local play parks and natural play spaces, and 16 sites have been identified as in need of improvement – a process which can cost up to £150,000 a time.

The categorisation will therefore help Fife Council target investment appropriately.