Glenrothes expansion given initial approval by councillors
The plan will see 850 homes built over the next ten years.
Last updated 24th Oct 2019
Fife councillors have approved planning permission in principle for up to 850 new homes in Glenrothes at the site of the former paper mill, Tullis Russell.
The plans will see a mix of flats and houses, a care village, retail, employment spaces and an expansion to Riverside Park.
At the central and west Fife planning committee on Wednesday, councillors approved the development which is expected to take around 10 years to complete.
It faced a number of objections, including from ASDA and the biomass plant, over concerns that noise complaints would lead to restrictions on the companies.
However, at the meeting, planning officer Chris Smith, said there wouldn’t be a detrimental impact to either residents or businesses, as mitigations had been put in place.
He added: “We wouldn’t be doing our jobs as planners if we recommended this for approval knowing there would be noise issues.”
The plans would also see upgrades to the Markinch roundabout, with traffic expected to reroute though the new development, to avoid the busy junction at Cadham Road End, where officers even talked of a possibility of closing the junction off altogether.
Glenrothes central and west councillor Derek Nobel said he would welcome closing off that junction, adding: “It’s impossible to make a right turn there. I know most people just avoid using it if they can.”
North Glenrothes and Markinch councillor John Beare said: “Without doubt the application for housing and business use is the most significant potential development in Glenrothes since the days of Glernrothes Development Corporation.
“Further detailed applications will need to come forward before any development can commence on site and issues like traffic flows from and to Cadham will be part of that process.