The results are in – locals overwhelmingly want their voices heard on the future of the ExxonMobil Mossmorran site!

Development group My Cowdenbeath held a community survey in December to help gather early reaction to the news about the closure, with 90% of the survey respondents agreeing that local people should be involved in the discussions about the site.

Respondents also favoured the site being redeveloped to create new jobs using the excellent water and electricity infrastructure at Mossmorran, with 78% in favour of this option.

50% of respondents were in favour of the site being completely returned to greenfields (21% against) and 44% want the site to remain as a chemical plant with a different operator (although this option was not supported by 40% of respondents).

The full results were published today, with the group now sharing the details with the Mossmorran Taskforce led by Fife Council and local community councils.

84% of locals who took part agreed that workers and contractors directly affected by the ExxonMobil announcement should be the top priority for the Taskforce and any Government response.

But there was also a very clear message that any response must include tackling the challenges in the Cowdenbeath Area more widely, with 92% calling for more investment in the area, 88% calling for the development and economic growth of the area to be a higher priority, and 67% fearing for the future prospects of the community as a result of the Mossmorran closure.

The results are an early indicator on how local people feel following the announcement by ExxonMobil that their plant was to close after more than 45 years in Fife. Around 400 workers are likely to be laid-off in phases starting in April 2026.

My Cowdenbeath are now calling for meaningful engagement with the local community on the impact of the closure on the local area and highlighting the town’s Local Place Plan as an opportunity for future investments.

A spokesperson for the group said,

“Our aim with this short survey was to gather views on the immediate priorities after the announcement came, and to evidence the feelings locally about the investment needed in this area. There is an opportunity here to do something for the entire Cowdenbeath Area and we must fight to have our say, as nobody else will do it for us. We hope the politicians are listening!”

You can read the full summary of the survey results here.

A number of text responses were also received, all available to read at the link here.