New Orthopaedic unit to be built at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy

The three-storey facility at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital will make Fife the first NHS region in Scotland to carry out hip and knee replacements as day cases not requiring overnight stays.

It will include three operating theatres and a 33-bed supporting ward, and will be built on the land currently used as Car Park H with more spaces being created elsewhere across the hospital estate to make up the shortfall.

The business case was approved by health bosses at the end of November and the planning application was formally approved on Wednesday afternoon by Fife Council’s Central and West Planning Committee.

A report prepared for the committee by council planner Bryan Reid had recommended the facility be permitted with 11 conditions attached to control its development.

In his paper, Mr Reid detailed that the development met all of Fife Council’s criteria for building quality, flood protection, green space and impacts on the local transport network.

However, he also recommended that the NHS keep Fife Council up-to-date on its plans for the hospital’s existing orthopaedic unit, which will be vacated when the new unit is complete.

Mr Reid has also advised that, despite the loss of parking spaces, Fife Council will not be extending its residents parking scheme for those living in the immediate area of Victoria Hospital. The scheme was introduced to reduce overspill of parking into nearby residential streets.

Parking was raised as a concern during Wednesday’s meeting by several local councillors. Gordon Langlands feared the reallocation of the 147 spaces from outside the A&E extrance would result in a “piecemeal” parking offering, while Mino Manekshaw said he would regularly spend time “hunting” for spaces.

An attempt by Cllr Manekshaw to require NHS Fife to keep the 147 spaces together was thrown out when officers confirmed that the most remote car parking spaces would be allocated to staff, with existing staff parking closer to the hospital being reallocated to the public.

He said: “If it’s there and we’re happy (I can accept that) – what I don’t want to have is a huge flurry of complaints we would have if people have to start driving around Kirkclady looking for a parking place if they’re trying to get into a clinic.”

The proposals were thereafter moved unanimously.