THE future of Scotland's largest land art project – a massive multi-million-pound sculpture by international artist Charles Jencks on the site of an old mine – is in doubt after Scottish Coal went into liquidation.
The restoration of the 665-acre site that is being designed by world-famous Jencks at Kelty in Fife is in jeopardy, along with other sites around the country, after the firm hit financial difficulties.
Friends of the Earth Scotland estimates it costs about £10 million to reinstate a basic landscape and it is thought the overall Jencks project could be priced at considerably more.
Scottish Coal, which runs six open-cast mines in East Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and Fife, announced it was in provisional liquidation just over a week ago, with the loss of almost 600 jobs.
Jencks, the American environmental architect behind the celebrated landform at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and Maggie's Centre in Glasgow, was hailed for his designs for the work, called the Scottish World Project.
A sculpted landscape park representing the continents of the world, celebrating Scotland's diaspora, and how they have influenced history is planned, and located between the "continents" is a loch in the shape of Scotland – with further water features surrounded by cliffs.
Jencks, whose mother was from Fife, could not be contacted yesterday.
The first section is due to open to the public in spring 2014 as part of Fife's celebration of the second Year of Homecoming.
Former Prime Minister and Fife MP Gordon Brown visited the site last year.
Mary McLean, Fife Council solicitor, said: "The land art project is under way on the St Ninian's site. However, until the provisional liquidators have decided how to proceed with the sites owned by Scottish Resources Group (Scottish Coal's parent firm), we won't know the future of the project."
Council officers are working to secure the best outcomes for the Fife project and a second one called Blair House, mothballed last year.
Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "The future of all Scottish Coal's sites is completely up in the air but the one certainty is there is not enough money put aside to deliver the promised restorations.
"This has been a saga of broken promises, with an industry allowed to make large profits but then walk way from its commitments to the local community."
Blair Nimmo, joint provisional liquidator of the Scottish Coal Company Limited and head of restructuring at KPMG in Scotland, said: "It is too early to comment on specific sites but we will continue to work with local authorities, the Scottish Government, the recently launched Scottish Mines Restoration Trust and other current stakeholders in the sites to try to reach acceptable solutions to restoration issues."
A Scottish Government task force set up along with the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust met for the first time yesterday.
Energy Minister Mr Ewing said: "The main outcome of today's meeting was the unanimous agreement that the objectives of the group should be the pursuit of an outcome that protects as many jobs as possible, maintains a sustainable business model for the sectors and restores the sites.
"The task force further agreed to write to the liquidator to express the preference for the assets of Scottish Coal to be taken over by a substantial, well capitalised company, able both to protect jobs and meet its environmental obligations, as well as avoiding cherry-picking of assets."
Environmental campaigner Coal Action Scotland (CAS), which is against coal as an energy source, said legal requirements for reinstatement of land should be introduced for all ex-mines.
A CAS spokesman said: "The only just solution to the problems faced by workers and communities alike is for councils to call in restoration bonds and begin restoration now." The task force will reconvene on May 15.
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