Dunfermline Weekly 🌥️ 23 February 2025
Council tax increase, Lochore trail improvements, £5m funding pulled, and more
💰 Council tax is set to go up by 8.2% off the back of the new council budget agreed on Thursday after years of nation-wide rate freeze. While it is a significant increase, it’s not the highest in the country, with increases up to 10% happening in many other council areas. (Fife Council)
🏠 Council tenants’ rent is also increasing by 6% from April.
💸 Dunfermline will not receive £5m of funding originally promised by then Tory government before the last Westminster election. The current Labour government cancelled the “Levelling Up” without officially announcing the move until Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville broke the news on Tuesday.
🌳 Lochore Meadows is getting a new nature trail this spring. It will finally close the circle route around the loch and importantly it will separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicle traffic on Pit Road on Kelty side of the park. The work will start this week and the new section is expected to open by April. (Fife Council)
🚨 The whistleblower who brought the revelation of council workers spending time at a gym and shops during work hours has had their home vandalised days after Dunfermline Press reported the allegations. (Dunfermline Press)
🍽️ Khushi’s owner is applying to open a new restaurant in place of the closed Betfred shop on Bruce St. It has not been made clear what type of cuisine the new eatery would specialise in. In the meantime, Khushi’s itself is inching towards reopening, with a permission to scale down the restaurant premises during the rebuild having been approved in January. (Courier)
🛒 Home Bargains is back with yet another planning application for a store at the Dunlin Drive and Pittsburgh Rd roundabout. Previous submissions were rejected over size and impact of the proposed retail development; this newest one has already attracted 92 objections and 23 letters of support. (Courier)
Place names of West Fife
🗺️ Today’s Fife place names are still in Dunfermline, and we’re staying in the modern day north-western area of the city.
Baldridge - Scots bald rig, ‘a bald ridge’, or a ridge without vegetation.
Lady’s Mill - the Lady in question is St Mary, who was worshipped at a local chapel at least as far back as 1300s. In fact modern day street of Lovers’ Loan was historically known as Lady’s Loan as recently as 1850s.
Nethertown - quite literally the lower part of the town. Modern day Dunfermline City train station was once known as Dunfermline Lower (as opposed to Upper, located where Carnegie Drive Retail Park is now) and even before that as Nethertown Station.
Pittencrieff - Gaelic pett na craoibhe or pett nan craobh ‘estate of the tree(s)’.
Wellwood - named after the landowner, Andrew Wellwood of Garvock, who built the current village. Wellwoods were a long-established Dunfermline family with mentions since 1420s.
Transport
🚃 Train station ticket office hours are to be reduced at Aberdour and Cowdenbeath at the end of March. Dunfermline and Inverkeithing have been spared any changes. (ScotRail)
🚧 Halbeath Road between Garvock Bank Railway Bridge and Cherrybank junction will be getting resurfaced, with temporary traffic lights, from tomorrow Mon 24 Feb until 14 March. As per usual council roadworks, this will be done during the daytime.
⚠️ Masterton Road will be fully closed next Friday 28 Feb for the day with multiple buses rerouted.
