If you’ve walked through the River Park at Levenmouth recently, you’ll have noticed there’s a lot going on. Paths are muddy, machinery is busy, and the landscape looks very different from how it did just a few months ago. While it might feel disruptive at times, exciting progress is being made.
Last week, we visited the site on a joint walkabout with the Fife Council Connectivity Project team and Mackenzie Construction to see first-hand how the works are coming along. Despite the persistent rain and challenging ground conditions, it was encouraging to see just how much has already been achieved and see the vision for the park is beginning to emerge.
During the visit, we looked at the planned locations for the new play areas, seating and a range of other features that will make River Park a welcoming space for everyone. Standing on site, it’s easy to imagine families enjoying the play areas, people stopping to rest on benches, and the park becoming a place to meet, relax and spend time outdoors.
The recent weather has certainly made conditions difficult. Heavy rain has brought mud and some flooded areas, and we know that this can be frustrating for those who are keen to enjoy the space right now. The project team are aware of the flooded path near Kirkland Rock ramp and are looking at the best way to tackle this. Each visit shows new developments, and the commitment from everyone involved is evident.
The work so far has been clearing some areas of the Park and we’re focusing on our work on the ‘lade’. The lade used to carry water from the River Leven to power the old Kirkland works. Our project will dig it out and make it into a wetland area with a grass path beside it. If you see some large piles of earth in the park, don’t worry we’re not building a huge earth wall, we’re storing the topsoil during the construction and we’ll use this across the park when we’re ready to start planting.
We’d like to thank local residents and park users for their patience while this work continues. Large projects like this inevitably bring some short-term disruption, but the long-term benefits will be well worth it. We are looking at the questions that local people ask on our social media posts and this helps us to keep our Frequently Asked Questions updated and understand what’s important to the community.
We hope to complete by spring but we need the Scottish winter weather to be kind! As the days get longer and the sunshine returns, River Park at Levenmouth will be ready to welcome the community into a refreshed and revitalised space — one that can be enjoyed in all seasons.
We’re looking forward to sharing more updates as the project progresses and can’t wait to see the park come to life.