£42m project will transform site of former mill

ON E of the la rgest si ng le developments in Glenrothes in decades has been unanimously approved by councillors.

The £42 million project will transform the former Tullis Russell paper mill site and could also solve problems related to a dangerous junction on to the A92.

The application by Advance Construction will involve up to 850 houses, a 32-room care home and 16 retirement flats being built on land occupied by the mill, which closed in 2015.

Retail, leisure facilities, business space and industrial units will also be created on the 130-acre site in the north of the town.

It will be developed in several phases over 10 years, with detailed plans of each phase to return to Fife Council’s planning committee for scrutiny.

Members of the central and west

Fife planning committee heard that concerns around noise coming from the neighbouring biomass plant and the impact on traffic on the A92 passing the paper mill site had been addressed.

Planning officer Chris Smith said a new route through the development, between Markinch roundabout and Cadham, would become the primary route for drivers, meaning they would no longer have to negotiate the notorious Cadham junction.

The roundabout will be upgraded, with traffic lights to cope with the extra traffic, and the nearby Preston and Bankhead roundabouts will also be improved.

The committee heard 300 construction jobs worth £130m to the local economy would be created during the work, with 800 permanent jobs likely once it is complete.

Mark Hutton, who died while in police custody.