Lochore Meadows Country Park is set to benefit from a new investment, it has been announced.

The visitor attraction in Fife is under new management, after the local authority appointed Fife Coast and Countryside Trust (FCCT) to manage the site for the next two years to try and find ways of generating additional income.

It will be responsible for managing the 13 Park Centre and Estate staff, as well as ensuring the park has a sustainable future. The agreement will also see the FCCT given additional funding of £120,000 per year, as well as an extra £1m towards the upgrade or redevelopment of the visitor centre buildings in 2015/16.

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The Trust has already started improvements on the site, such as painting the foyer of the centre and installing a digital information point. There are also plans in place to upgrade the walking route that links Kelty to the Country Park, and conservation work for the remains of Lochore Castle.

Councillor Gavin Yates, Fife Council's Executive Spokesperson for Community Health & Wellbeing, said: "The extra annual investment from Fife Council that was announced earlier this year will contribute towards making the community's long-standing ambitions for the park a reality.

"The Trust have experience in managing some of Fife's best outdoor assets including the Fife Coastal Path and I welcome this move that will see them oversee the development of Lochore Meadows Country Park."

Amanda Mcfarlane, FCCT Chief Executive, said: "We are very excited to be managing Lochore Meadows which is a fantastic facility with great potential and to add it to the many important parts of Fife's coast and countryside we already manage and conserve."

(JP/MH)