Findings

While “speeding measures” appears as the single most frequently cited solution, the underlying responses show that this is not a single, simple problem, but a combination of overlapping concerns:

• Through-traffic vs local traffic

Many responses link speeding to vehicles passing through the village rather than local journeys, suggesting frustration with Aberdour functioning as a cut-through route.

• Road design and infrastructure

Suggestions such as pavement widening, traffic calming, and road reclassification indicate that residents see speeding as a design issue, not just a behaviour issue.

• Safety and liveability

Speeding is frequently tied to:

• • • pedestrian safety

    • children and older residents

    • general quality of life

• Enforcement vs prevention

 The data suggests a mix of:

• enforcement solutions (policing, speed checks)

• structural solutions (road layout, traffic flow changes)

💡 Key insight

Speeding is acting as a proxy for wider concerns about safety, traffic volume, and the balance between through-movement and village life. Residents are asking for slower, safer, more people-focused streets. 

Beach-related concerns cut across transport, environment, and safety, reflecting a broader need to manage seasonal population changes and protect both community wellbeing and the local environment. 

Concerns are often linked to:

• parking and congestion, particularly in summer months

• Strain on facilities

• Increases in litter and anti-social behaviour

• Predictable pressure points

Some responses explicitly acknowledge the value of visitors, while still highlighting the need for better coordination and planning.

💡 Key insight

This reflects the need to manage visitor pressure and infrastructure strain, rather than a desire to reduce tourism. The key lies in managing predictable seasonal demand.

Across all themes, there was strong demand for GP access, dental care, elderly support and youth activities. 

This is not anti-development. While there are negative sentiments around planning processes, there is a strong signal that there is awareness of a growth vs capacity mismatch.  Infrastructure and services are not keeping pace with population growth.

Residents highly value community life and opportunities to participate. From specific mentions of community hubs to generally how to access information, the answers cut across many themes. 

From this we can see that residents are looking for more spaces to gather (hubs, Cedar Inn), more activities (especially for young people), but perhaps more than anything, better access to information about what’s on and how to connect. 

💡 Key insight

The issue is not necessarily lack of activity, but barriers to participation, visibility, and inclusion.

Village identity was also strong pattern emerging from the responses. From a thriving high street, to protecting village status, residents are proud of their village and symbolic assets (like Cedar Inn and the Woodside Hotel and St Fillans) carry emotional and practical weight. 

Reinstating the post office, upgrades to playparks, community gardening and Cedar Inn regeneration were highly supported.

💡 Key insight

This shows people want to strengthen what exists, not just expand.