A Fife football club which relinquished its ground in 2017 to allow a new supermarket to be built has been told it may have to wait another five years to get a new home.
Rosyth FC gave up its Admiralty Park pitch four years ago at the request of Fife Council to provide land to site a new Lidl store.
As part of the planning approval granted in 2018, the developer, McTaggart and Mickel, was supposed to provide a new pitch.
However, a dispute has left the club without a permanent home, meaning it has had to rent training facilities at Fleet Grounds in Wilson Way.
The developer offered to provide £175,000 for the replacement pitch but that was deemed unreasonable by planning officers in November last year after it emerged there would still be a £350,000 shortfall.
It’s since been confirmed that the developer has now increased its financial contribution to an undisclosed amount.
A spokesman for McTaggart and Mikel, said: “We are continuing to work to find a solution that will suit all parties and have increased our financial offer to provide a replacement pitch for Rosyth Football Club.
“We remain committed, as we have been throughout this process, to working with all parties involved to resolving the current situation.”
Rosyth FC has around 300 youngsters playing and training for its youth sides and wants to expand its role in the local community.
Club officials, led by Russell Craig, tabled a business plan, which is backed by SportScotland, the SFA and local councillors to Fife Council three weeks ago, which details the club’s ambition to improve the Wilson Way site.
“Redeveloping the artificial pitches we have used since this debacle began will benefit Rosyth FC by ensuring we have a club that can finally meet all of its league obligations,” said Mr Russell.
“Furthermore, it will secure the club for generations to come and provide a legacy that will benefit the whole of the Rosyth community.”
The East of Scotland League side is also concerned about the timescale for the proposed new Inverkeithing High School at Fleet Grounds, which isn’t expected to be built until 2026.
“The club feels that being absorbed into the future school campus, which is years away from built, just isn’t right for us,” said Mr Russell.
“Being asked to wait would mean us being left without any permanent facilities for nearly a decade and we just can’t sustain that.
“They built the new Queensferry Crossing in less time than Rosyth Football Club is being told it may have to wait.”
Fife Council officer Alan Paul said: “We are in discussions with the club and other statekholders about proposals for Fleet Grounds.”