"CONFLICTING" views about what to do with a park in Crossgates led to villagers rejecting both proposals.

A Fife Council report has given more information about the public consultation, which ended with locals saying no to new sports and recreation facilities.

As the Times reported last week, the Crossgates Village Park (CVP) group has decided to disband in the wake of the poll.

The report said more than 250 people took part in the consultation and stated: "There are conflicting responses between those that want the location to be more of a sporting venue, particularly football based, and those that want it to be more of a community-based asset, primarily for children and families, with the need for existing facilities to be upgraded while preserving green / open space and giving more access to open or green space."

The six months consultation on the future of School View and Humbug Park was prompted by CVP, a registered charity that wanted to change the running of the park for the benefit of Crossgates.

They wanted to know how locals currently use the park, how it could be improved and what they thought about the proposals.

But 65 per cent of the people who took part voted against the ideas in phase 1, which included taking over a lease, subletting to the local football team and creating changing facilities so that School View could be used for football.

And 54 per cent voted against the suggestions in phase 2, which would have been heavily dependent on funding but could have included an all-weather sports pitch, new play facilities and an outdoor exercise area.

There were 27 per cent in favour of phase 1 and 40 per cent in favour of phase 2, the remainder of respondents were unsure.

The consultation showed that the park is popular, with more than 90 per cent of those who responded saying they used it, mostly on a weekly basis, with weekdays slightly more popular than weekends.

The report said the main reasons why more people don't use the park "appears to be a perception of lack of suitable activities, facilities and equipment".

CVP had sought ideas and suggested facilities, with some attracting more support than others, included improved play equipment, a multi-use games area, some type of sports facility such as a cycle track or multi-purpose sports court, outdoor fitness equipment and an all-weather surface.

Almost 10 per cent wanted to see a community hub / cafe and other ideas included toilets, better drainage, landscaping to make the area look more attractive with more benches, picnic tables, waste bins and a dog exercise area.

However, the report noted there was "resistance" to proposals to instal artificial surfaces and car parking, and concerns included increased volume of traffic and road safety issues, and difficulties with car parking and vehicle access.

Almost 34 per cent were worried about the loss of green space and others felt the parks should be for the benefit of the whole community, with the proposals "too focused" on football.

The loss of free facilities, especially for those on lower incomes, was also raised.

Sarah Roxburgh, the council's community manager for the Crossgates area, said: "This has given the people of Crossgates an opportunity to share their ideas on the park proposals and its future uses.

"The consultation was able to gather a wide range of views which will help to us to make inform decisions in the future.”

Last week local councillors spoke of their "dismay" that villagers had said no to the proposals, and stressed the need for new facilities. .

CVP said the charity would be dissolved with funding provided by the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to be returned to the trust.