Green light for sizable housing development

Broomhill plans given conditional approval subject to legal agreement

A massive £600 million, 7,000-job development to the south-west of Dunfermline has been given the go-ahead.

Dunfermline-based Stirling Developments’ plans for the Broomhall site have been given conditional approval, subject to a legal agreement, by west Fife planning committee.

The application for planning permission in principle will see a minimum of 2,150 houses built. It will also include a variety of business units.

There will also be scope for two primary schools, a healthcare site, shops and community buildings with the development, which runs along Grange Road from Dunfermline to the north of Rosyth.

Work on the site, bordering Elgin Street industrial estate to the north and Pitreavie business park to the east, would be carried out in seven phases over a 25 to 30-year period.

Peter Stirling from the developers was delighted plans for the “remarkable site” had been approved after a long time in the pipeline.

“It’s 14 years since we invested in the project,” he said.

As a local firm, he said a lot of time and effort was taken over public consultation, and that was something that would continue with the community and councillors.

He said: “We pride ourselves on being transparent and accountable.”

An area of open space has been earmarked around the category A-listed Hill House and its category B-listed windmill which lies on the site but is not part of the application.

Mr Stirling said the plans would always be aware of safeguarding the vista of Dunfermline Abbey from the south.

More than 50 objections were lodged and Crossford, Rosyth and Charlestown, Limekilns and Pattiesmuir community councils were not in favour of the development.

Fears included the impact on local roads and on services, including education and health, and on the landscape.

The question of health services was also raised by Labour councillor Andrew Verrecchia, who noted there was land allocated for a GP surgery “but healthcare goes beyond that”.

“We have 2,000-plus houses. Making an assumption they will be inhabited by two people – that’s 4,000 human beings who have the propensity to reproduce, so that is a lot of people.

“The elephant in the room is where is everybody going to go when they are ill?”

The committee heard NHS Fife did not raise any matters for consideration when the site was allocated for use in the local development plan.

In addition, the applicant had made a commitment to reserving sites for GPs or dentists if required.

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The elephant in the room is where is everybody going to go when they are ill? COUNCILLOR ANDREW VERRECCHIA