There are no imminent plans to build hundreds of homes on the doorstep of a Glenrothes neighbourhood, residents have been assured.
Local councillors and Fife Council officers have told residents of the Newcastle area that the town’s local development plan is identifying potential sites for new housing but no final decisions will be taken for some time.
It follows widespread concern from householders in the west of the town that nearby fields would be transformed into 300 new homes on the “preferred” site between Newcastle and Leslie.
SNP councillor Ross Vettraino said: “The residents of Newcastle and anyone else who is concerned should know that the council is far away from a decision and that the points made about the limitations of the site have been taken on board.”
However, local SNP councillor Peter Grant said he had huge concerns over the possibility of the Newcastle area being developed in the future.
He claimed local schools could not cater for the additional number of pupils, particularly with the proposed closure of nearby Tanshall Primary.
“I think there are a total of 800 new houses for Newcastle, Tanshall and Caskieberran,” he said.
“The people reviewing the school estate are working from completely different documents. It’s a mismatch on a gargantuan scale.
“Knowing the area well, I can’t see where there will be suitable road access. The fire service used to say you can’t have more than 200 houses in a cul-de-sac and Newcastle is a cul-de-sac.”
Officers said the next draft of the plan will contain feedback from the public consultation process, which concluded last week.
However, Labour councillor Kay Morrison said more needed to be done.
She added: “People often feel they don’t hear about something until it’s too late. We have got to keep thinking of ways to make people realise this matters to them.”