Kerstin Romano
Dunfermline is a town with great potential to be the place of choice to live not just for many Fifers but also for those who work elsewhere, but who
are looking for a calmer and more relaxed lifestyle. So sad then that we see this potential often wasted and our City Centre becoming ever less accessible and ever more empty.
We have many beautiful old buildings that lie derelict and are slowly rotting away. Our town deserves better than that. We deserve better than that.
Change is possible, when people come together with the support of the council and the community. We saw that with the transformation of the old Fire Station, which is now a thriving arts centre and community hub.
Towns work best when the people who live in them have a real stake in planning and running them. That is why we applaud the efforts of the ‘Friends of Pilmuir Works’, who are seeking to develop the old Dunlop factory that has been lying empty for far too long. Last year urban communities gained new
powers to buy out, redevelop and run building and facilities important to them. Green councillors in Fife House will support communities to make the most of these new powers.
As well as community involvement, local businesses could be the key to reviving the town centre. We would like to see rent controls and grants for refurbishing historic buildings, to encourage landlords to bring new businesses back onto the High Street and support local entrepreneurs.