Plans to construct a shopping precinct in Burntisland have been rejected for fears of killing off the town’s High Street.
Members of Fife Council’s central planning committee unanimously threw out plans that would have seen five retail units constructed on land south of Aberdour Road, near its junction with Kirkton Road.
The proposals generated considerable controversy, with a petition against the development bearing 738 signatures having been submitted to the committee.
Committee members were advised by planning officers to reject the application and though this was officially done on the basis of road safety and a failure to comply with the adopted local plan, it was clear concerns over the sustainability of High Street were on the minds of councillors.
“It is important to a lot of people and is a place where more than just trading goes on,” local councillor George Kay said.
“Burntisland is on the cusp. It can go one way or the other and I think if we approved this application, it will go the wrong way.”
