Plans for 1400 homes in Fife village to be 'resurrected'

Cupar Community Council was given an update on the proposals on Tuesday evening by Euan McLaughlin, development planner at Persimmon.

Progression of the plans, which were submitted in 2015, have stalled in recent years, but, in the meeting, Mr McLaughlin set out a new timetable.

It is hoped that a public consultation will be held by May 24 and that the proposals will be put before councillors at the start of 2021. The timetable also noted that it is expected that, prior to May 3, a new web page will be launched with updates on the proposals and dates for the consultation will be advertised. By May 31, Persimmon aims to provide a public update on key points raised in the consultation and set out the next steps.

The presentation noted: “We are currently in discussion with a number of master planners to take the project forward. The key element is to ensure the updated Visual Impact Assessment and Flood Risk Assessment are completed.”

Mr McLaughlin was then asked a series of questions regarding the proposals, most of which focused on the environment side of the plans.

He said Persimmon were looking at active travel routes, including a separate shared path through the development, and considering a district heating scheme, although he said this would depend on whether or not it is viable.

While most of the comments after the update were positive, Cupar Community Council chair Gina Logan did bring up the public’s response to previous proposals.

She noted that, responding to two previous consultations, around 90 per cent of Cupar residents said they were against the plans.

She also mentioned that more than 500 letters of objection had been submitted to the plans.

"I don’t know if Persimmon has been made aware of this,” she said, “but it is important that the views of the people of Cupar are taken into account.”

Mr McLaughlin responded: “We’ll try and work with the community to create a better masterplan.”