Plans for a major housing development on farmland in Inverkeithing have drawn hundreds of objections.
Fife Council has been inundated with over 240 letters and emails opposing Taylor Wimpey’s proposal for 450 houses on green belt land at Spencerfield, south of the A921.
Among the objectors is Dalgety Bay and Hillend Community Council, which says the proposal is contrary to the Dunfermline and West Fife Local Plan approved last November.
Inverkeithing Community Council has so far declared it is “neutral” about the plans. However, that could change after a public meeting inthe civic centre at 7pm on Friday.
Its purpose is to canvass opinion before a formal submission is made to the council. It is likely that Inverkeithing residents will also object.
Dalgety Bay and Hillend Community Council chairman Colin McPhail said Letham Hill Wood would be all that separated the two communities if the development went ahead.
He said: “We discussed the development at an earlier community council meeting and came to the decision to object on the basis of the green-belt land between our two communities of Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay.
“To a certain extent, there would be a bit of coalescence between the two communities, which is really what we don’t want to see happening.
“The green-belt land is important and it’s important that we maintain that. In the Dunfermline and West Fife Local Plan, it was pointed out that there are some brownfield sites within Inverkeithing, which, if developed over a period of time, could meet the requirement for 500 houses for Inverkeithing.”
Inverkeithing Community Council chairman Chris Cunningham said: “We’re having a public meeting this Friday at 7pm in the civic centre. When we know what the general opinion is, we’ll take it from there. Until the public meeting has happened, we can’t really comment.
“Hopefully, we’ll get a good turnout.”
Taylor Wimpey has offered to support the regeneration of Inverkeithing’s much maligned Fraser Avenue, should the plans be approved.
In a supporting statement submitted to the council on behalf of Taylor Wimpey, architects Montgomery Forgan Associates said: “It is recognised that the application site is not identified for development purposes within the Dunfermline and West Fife Local Plan. However, it is submitted that for the reasons set out further within this statement that there are reasonable and compelling grounds for allowing this application to be supported and for planning permission to be granted.
“The non-effectiveness of the land allocated at Inverkeithing within the Dunfermline and West Fife Local Plan not only exacerbates an existing and projected housing land shortfall, but also prevents any meaningful progress in respect of advancing the wider regeneration proposals, which underpinned the identification of Inverkeithing as a location for a strategic-sized development area.”
Many Dalgety Bay residents lodged similar objection letters, stating: “Scottish planning policy states that redevelopment of urban and rural brownfield sites are preferred to development on greenfield sites.
“The site in question is fertile, agricultural land and, given that there are several brownfield sites within the area, identified for potential housing redevelopment, these areas should be redeveloped first before greenfield land is considered.
“The housing allocation at Spencerfield would gift a 20-year land supply to Taylor Wimpey on the ultimately low-cost greenfield site at Spencerfield.
“This would inevitably result in the redevelopment of the Caldwells Mill area being deferred until after this period a very unsatisfactory outcome for the town.”