Major plans for Fife colliery site include leisure, tourism, housing and retail

The site of a former Fife colliery could be transformed into a leisure and tourism centre with hundreds of residential homes, shops and a care village.

Comrie Development Company Ltd has pitched a major development project at Comrie Colliery coal mine in Saline.

It wants to revive the 181-hectare site to create leisure and tourism, employment, retail, care village, residential, renewable energy, open space, landscape works, paths and associated works.

The company recently submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) - one of the first steps in a long planning process - to Fife Council to ensure that the environmental effects of its proposals are investigated, understood and taken into account before it proceeds.

Developers say they are committed to renewing the site and breathing new life into the region.

“The development will address the significant need for restoration of the site, while providing economic and community benefits to the site and surrounding area,” a planning statement said.

If the proposals go ahead, Comrie Development Company could build up to 420 chalet and holiday pod accommodation units accompanied by a services support building.

A 160-bed hotel, visitor centre, gym and spa would also provide a central destination for visitor and leisure facilities for the whole site. The proposals also include a multi‐purpose visitor centre, a par three golf course, outdoor active leisure and high amenity waterside lochan and event space for weddings and conferences alongside the hotel.

The company has also pitched between 300‐320 retirement properties providing a mix of housing in the form of retirement homes, sheltered housing, warden assisted living, and supported care. This would sit alongside approximately 175‐185 units of medium and low density residential housing. These are designed to enable the development of the masterplan and site remediation, according to planning papers.

Other plans include a 5,000 sqm building for industrial use; a 2,500sqm garden centre paired with a 2,500sqm ancillary hospitality cluster for retail/leisure uses; and up to 100 hectares of renewable/solar energy development. Nearly 50 hectares has also been set aside for greenspace in the form of a central park, a woodland, and a waterbody.

“The development will address the significant need for restoration of the site, whilst providing economic and community benefits to the site and surrounding area,” developers said in a planning statement. “Investment in quality of place and the creation of jobs in rural areas helps support local communities, and retains services and opportunities with benefits across the community. This in turn helps to sustain existing settlements.”

The planning authority will evaluate the proposals and the EIA assessment in due course.