Plans have been lodged for a new school and major housing development in Aberdour.
The owners of Hillside residential school for boys with behavioural difficulties want to fund a new “fit for purpose” campus by developing the surrounding grounds off Main Street.
Included in the proposal are blocks of student accommodation, playing fields and sports pitches, business units and up to 125 new houses.
A previous bid to build on the site was unpopular with villagers and drew around 460 letters of objection before it was thrown out by councillors.
By Monday, four objections to the latest proposal had been published on Fife Council’s online planning portal.
One objector said: “The level of housebuilding going on and planned for west Fife is fast becoming a real concern. Most of this building is not for social housing but profit making enterprise of the big housebuilders.
“Roads, schools etc are coming under severe pressure and to consider spoiling one of the last and exceptional beauty spots in west fife is delinquent in the extreme.”
Felsham Planning and Development, which is acting on behalf of Hillside, said the school, including the 200-year-old Hillside House and buildings dating back to the 1970s and 1980s, were of “considerable concern” in terms of childcare regulation, health and safety and ongoing maintenance liabilities.
Felsham said in its planning statement: “Hillisde School is proposing a new high quality educational campus which will continue to provide the existing curriculum to its pupils in a new fit for purpose facility.
“Associated business units are proposed to give pupils vocational training to help with the transition from school to working life, as well as other local employment opportunities. Planning permission in principle is sought for up to 125 units to help finance the new educational campus.”
The statement said the development would be set among trees and green open spaces to provide a network of landscape, cycle and pedestrian routes.
“It is envisaged that the layout will allow for more urban green links through the centre of the development area forging direct open space links into the heart of the development,” it added.
“It is envisaged that green space around the periphery will be a combination of grass spaces to provide a smooth transition towards the open countryside and active and passive uses combined with more natural areas to encourage wildlife and biodiversity.”
