Councillors are being urged to reject a £2.5 million plan for a bakery shop, business units and storage facilities in Kirkcaldy.
Stephen Bakery teamed up with property developers Castlecroft to lodge an application for disused land off Hendry Road.
It includes six business units, a small bakery shop, a 120-container storage business and a car park.
Seven super fast electric charging points are also mooted.
The firm says the development could create up to 100 jobs on a brownfield site, empty for 20 years.
However, Fife Council planning officers say the Hayfield Industrial Estate location does not comply with the town centre first policy.
There are also concerns about the potential impact on nearby Templehall shops.
And they have therefore recommended the application be refused.
Kirkcaldy MP says approval is ‘no-brainer’
Despite this, Stephens Bakery bosses are still hopeful of getting the green light.
There are no objections to the plan, other than the council’s town centre fears.
However, seven letters of support have been received, including from Kirkcaldy Alba MP Neale Hanvey.
He says the earmarked land is an eyesore and attracts anti-social behaviour.
And he describes the proposal as “exactly the vote of confidence our local economy needs”.
Mr Hanvey adds: “It seems a no-brainer to me that this should get the support of elected representatives on the planning committee.
“Fife Council shouldn’t shy away from giving the go-ahead to getting spades in the ground, bringing investment to the area and creating local jobs.”
Officers outline reasons to refuse business development
Meanwhile Talia Sarafilovic, managing director of Dunfermline-based Stephens, says the company is keen to invest.
“While we have an existing presence with communities elsewhere in Kirkcaldy, we want to support this project and help the development of local land which has been neglected for far too long,” she said.
However, a planning report to next week’s west and central planning committee outlines the reasons for refusal.
It says: “The proposal has the potential to adversely impact on the viability and vitality of nearby town and local centres by introducing retail outwith a town centre.”
And it adds the proposed bakery is not compliant with land set aside for employment use.
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