Fife Council is to fight two controversial decisions which could devastate the region’s economy.
Administration leader David Ross said he would contest a recommendation in the long-awaited Fifeplan which could sink an ambitious £500 million proposal for Rosyth waterfront.
And he has pledged to do everything he can to reverse moves to close MoD Caledonia by 2022.
The Ministry of Defence said it would dispose of the Rosyth base as part of a UK Government plan to sell off 56 defence sites.
Mr Ross said he was bitterly disappointed at both decisions which would see jobs lost and the chance to regenerate the waterfront and create new employment scuppered.
Fifeplan, published last month, said land at the waterfront should not be zoned for mixed use but should be kept as industrial land only.
The recommendation effectively leaves the Scarborough Muir Group’s vision for a dynamic quayside featuring bars, restaurants and new housing dead in the water.
This is despite the fact the development was backed by the council and local residents.
Mr Ross said Rosyth waterfront remains a strategic site for Fife with the potential to provide a significant number of new jobs.
“I’m led to believe the council may still be able to consider a planning application that defers from the plan if it has merit,” he said.
“I don’t envisage the reporter’s decision is the end of the debate on the subject of land at the waterfront.”
Rosyth councillor Mike Shirkie said he was bitterly disappointed by the Fifeplan decision but made it clear he did not accept it.
“I do not intend to let it drop,” he said.
“There are a number of avenues open to me to take this forward to achieve the development at Rosyth waterfront.”
Mr Ross also intends to act on the MoD Caledonia decision which, according to the SNP, is part of the decimation of shipbuilding in Scotland.
“We will take as much action as we possibly can, both to see if we can reverse the decision to close MoD Caledonia or to mitigate as much as we possibly can the impact of it,” he said.
“We are already in touch with a range of people.”
