A £2 MILLION project to improve the Lyne Burn corridor in Dunfermline faces a shortfall after a bid for cash was declined at the last minute . Nature Scot s decision to withdraw funding leaves Fife Council having to find £500,000 in their capital plan to ensure the long-awaited greenspace proposals go ahead. Councillor Helen Law, convener of the City of Dunfermline area committee, said: This is a really exciting project for Dunfermline and builds on work which has been ongoing for many years. The most recent proposals seemed in jeopardy as Fife Council s application for funding for £650,000 to Nature Scot was declined at the last minute.
FIVE Aberlady residents will represent the village on a community council. Gullane Area Community Council – which serves Gullane, Aberlady, Dirleton, Drem and West Fenton – already had hotelier Malcolm Duck and Frank Neate as members representing Aberlady. Now, the group has added Rebecca Simpson Hughes, Hayden Edwards and Jamie Tough to its ranks. Tom Drysdale, chairman of the community council, welcomed the trio. He said: “This is the first time for many years that Aberlady has had its full complement of community council members. “They will bring us renewed strength with their range of skills and they are already making a difference in encouraging greater community involvement and activity in the village.”
IT was the first big land buyout in Scotland where wealthy owners were forced to sell to the community. The Assynt Foundation used £4 million of taxpayer, charity and lottery cash to buy the vast Glencanisp and Drumrunie estates, and refurbish Glencanisp Lodge, but there have been questions about how great the return on the investment has been ever since the 2005 buyout. Now, after 15 years of effort, the foundation has decided to call in private cash and a high-powered entrepreneur to give it the boost it needs to achieve its goals. Hotelier Nick Dent is to lease the stunning Glencanisp Lodge, centrepiece of the Assynt Foundation’s 44,000 acres, and turn it into a boutique hotel.
Police say they will deal with the person who shot a protected bird of prey near Cirencester robustly for their unacceptable crime . A Red Kite was shot close to the village of Salperton with what police believe to be a shotgun on March 12. The bird was still alive, but unable to fly and was taken to the Vale Wildlife Hospital. The severity of it s injuries meant the bird had to be euthanised. PC Ash Weller from the Rural Crime Team said: This is an unacceptable crime and one which will be dealt with robustly if the offender is identified. An X-ray of the bird revealed multiple bone fractures caused by the lead shot, therefore suggesting a shotgun was used.