New housing development in Fife village could be completed next year

Kingdom Housing Association said it hopes to start work early this summer, after it received planning permission for its 30-house development in Gauldry.

Welcoming Fife Council’s decision, Kingdom chief executive Bill Banks said that great care had been taken to address concerns of the local community about a new development in their village.

Mr Banks said: “There is a very high need for affordable housing in the north Fife area and unfortunately there is a shortage of sites to meet the needs. The project is intended to help meet both current and future housing needs in the area and to help to sustain local communities. Kingdom’s aim is to provide high quality housing to meet the local needs in the local area and the planning authority accepted the proposed development as being of an acceptable size to meet the needs in the area.”

He added: “Local concerns were raised in respect of schools being able to cope with the potential increase numbers. However, the education service does not expect the development to affect capacity at the local schools. Fife Council are satisfied that there is no increased risk of flooding and Scottish Water has confirmed sufficient water and waste water capacity. There will be no adverse impact on bio-diversity. In fact, our proposed landscaping/tree planting is considered a net biodiversity improvement.”

The proposals will provide 30 new Passivhaus homes for social rent and will meet a range of housing needs in the area. The development will see ten two-bedroom amenity homes suitable for older people and 20 two and three-bedroom family homes.

Kingdom hopes to start on site in early summer 2021 with completion in 2022.

The development will cost in the region of £5m and aims to provide community benefits through a range of employment and training opportunities that will be delivered through contract.

The plans were approved last week, after Fife Council planners were criticised for their “confusing and problematic” report, which ran over 20,000 words. Click HERE to read that story.