A new £33m four-storey orthopaedic care centre to be built at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy has been given the green light by councillors.
Plans for the new facility was given unanimous approval by members of the Central and West Fife planning committee on Wednesday afternoon.
The new building will house the 6,700 sqm elective care centre which will be linked to the main Victoria hospital building by a 15mtr enclosed link bridge.
The building replaces the existing orthopaedic department built in 1967.
The development is to be sited on the existing car park H adjacent to the current A&E department and will result in the loss off 147 parking spaces, to be relocated to other existing car parking areas.
The new development was warmly welcomed by councillors with Kirkcaldy Councillor Zoe Hisbent hailing the new facility a “welcome addition to the Victoria hospital site.
Councillor John Beare, added the proposal was a “welcome indication that NHS Fife were investing in the infrastructure in Fife”.
Both Ms Hisbent and her fellow councillors, Gordon Langlands and Mino Manekshaw, said patients and local residents need assurances the hospital will continue to offer adequate parking for visitors.
Planning officer Mark Barratt, informed the committee work to add the spaces lost to the new orthopaedic centre had already started and would be completed as one of the planning conditions.
Councillors gave unanimous approval for the new development which is expected to commence later this year.