Carpets piled over 30 feet high over a 50m x 20m area at the entrance to a former munitions depot are ‘a complete eyesore and poses a risk of contamination and must be dealt with’ according to Fife Council leader. The area concerned at the entrance to the Lathalmond M90 Commerce Park situated on the Gask Road between Kelty and Dunfermline was operated by First Options Services who specialised in re-cycling all sorts of materials including carpets, plastics, plasterboard and bio diesel until the business ceased trading in June 2012.
Alex Rowley has now written to planning officials and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) demanding that action is taken to address the waste stored on site. He said; “There are many businesses who now trade out of the M90 Commerce Park at Lathalmond and this complete eyesore at the entrance is not acceptable. We have the Scottish Vintage Bus Museum operating from the site and I cannot imagine what people must think when they visit this site and see this stockpile of old carpets, plasterboard and goodness knows what else. It is simply not acceptable that this area has been allowed to be used and left in this way. I am also concerned about what the likely pollution impact of this stockpile is and I am told the smell coming from the site can be very horrible so who knows what is running off this area.
He continued; “I have been advised that this company ceased to trade after SEPA issued a statement in 2012 stating that due to three cows deaths the product from the site was deemed illegal. I am also told that no planning breach has taken place but I cannot believe that this kind of activity and complete mess at the entrance to this site could ever have been acceptable. But I am very clear that it is no longer acceptable for this mess to be just left like this.
“Local businesses state that the machinery that was on site has all been removed and this would suggest that the company has been put into receivership and I am seeking clarity on this. I am also demanding that tests are carried out to see what kind of pollution and risk exists from the current stockpiles and I am seeking clarity on what action can be taken and who will take responsibility for having the whole area cleaned up.
He concluded; “I have been told that the cost of cleaning up this site could be anywhere between £700,000 to £1 million but the cost of doing nothing could be much higher in terms of the impact on the commerce park and the possible fall out from any pollution of the wider area. There are many questions and I am now seeking answers and proposals for action to address this unacceptable position”.
