Burntisland Heritage: Preferred Option and Vision for
The Royal Burgh of Burntisland Burgh Chambers and Library Buildings
A vision of what could be.
Executive Summary
Burntisland Heritage proposes a renewed, strategic reassessment of the future of the Burgh Chambers and adjoining Library buildings. With funding now available to improve accessibility and with recent changes to building use, there is a timely opportunity to develop a joined Community Hub and Heritage Centre that maximises public benefit, accessibility, and long‑term sustainability. This document sets out the rationale for that reassessment and outlines a clear, collaborative vision for the future.
1. Background and Context
Over many years, Burntisland Heritage and Burntisland Community Council have worked closely to secure the Burgh Chambers as a public asset for the town. Throughout this period, Burntisland Heritage has consistently campaigned for the retention of the Burgh Chambers in public ownership, recognising its civic importance and long‑term value to the community.
Recent progress has been made through the availability of funding to provide disabled access to the upper floors of the Burgh Chambers. This development requires careful consideration to ensure that the chosen solution represents the best strategic option and delivers genuine value for money for the town.
2. Current Opportunity
Burntisland Heritage is currently in discussions with Fife Council regarding a proposed move from the Kirkgate premises within the Burgh Chambers to the Upper Library Hall in the adjacent public library building. While this move offers new opportunities, it also highlights a continuing challenge: the limited accessibility of upper‑floor spaces, which restricts their ability to realise their full potential as inclusive community assets.
At the same time, a significant change has occurred with the leasing of a large part of the Burgh Chambers ground floor to a Banking Hub. While this is a welcome and valuable addition to the town, it has rendered earlier planning documents—namely the 2016 Community Action Plan, the 2019 Business Development Plan, and Burntisland Heritage’s 2024 Reassessment Project—no longer fit for purpose in their original form.
Rather than viewing these changes as setbacks, Burntisland Heritage believes they create a timely and constructive opportunity to reassess the future of both buildings together.
3. Rationale for Change
The original principle underpinning earlier plans—that income generated from ground‑floor uses could help support the development and operation of upper‑floor civic spaces—remains valid. However, the current configuration of uses, combined with ongoing accessibility challenges, suggests that a piecemeal approach is unlikely to deliver the best long‑term outcome for the town.
A more holistic reassessment is therefore required—one that considers the Burgh Chambers and Library buildings as a single, interconnected civic asset rather than as separate facilities.
4. Proposed Vision
Burntisland Heritage’s vision is to work in partnership with Burntisland Community Council, Burntisland Community Development Trust, and other local stakeholders to re‑examine the potential for the Burgh Chambers and Library buildings to be physically linked and developed as a combined Community Hub and Heritage Centre.
This could be achieved through the construction of a glass atrium between the two buildings, providing level and inclusive access to the upper floors of both properties. Such an approach would significantly improve accessibility, enhance circulation, and allow the spaces to be programmed and managed in a more flexible and coherent manner.
5. Long‑Term Benefits
In the longer term, this integrated approach represents a more sensible and sustainable solution for:
- Providing inclusive access to both historic buildings
- Unlocking the full potential of currently underused upper‑floor spaces
- Creating a clear civic focus for community, heritage, and cultural activity
- Maximising the value of public investment through shared infrastructure and management
By treating the buildings as a single civic complex, Burntisland would gain a more functional, adaptable, and future‑proofed community asset.
6. Next Steps and Partnership Working
Burntisland Heritage proposes working collaboratively with Fife Council, Burntisland Community Council, Burntisland Community Development Trust, and other interested local groups to explore funding opportunities from appropriate agencies. The aim would be to commission a new, professional assessment examining:
- The feasibility of linking the two public buildings
- Options for governance and long‑term management
- The potential transfer of assets to a suitably constituted community body
- Financial sustainability and delivery within current fiscal constraints
This would be an exploratory and evidence‑led process, ensuring that any future decisions are robust, transparent, and firmly rooted in community benefit.
7. Conclusion
This would represent at least the third formal attempt to reconsider the future of the Burgh Chambers. However, Burntisland Heritage believes that the current context—characterised by changing building use, accessibility funding opportunities, and financial pressures on public bodies—makes this proposal both timely and realistic.
A professionally developed and collaborative approach offers the best chance of delivering a modern, accessible, and genuinely 21st‑century civic space for the people of Burntisland, while safeguarding these important historic buildings for future generations.
