Controversial plans to construct a new primary school in Burntisland have been submitted for approval.
The application for the £12.5 million complex at Toll Park has been put forward following months of bitter wrangling over the choice of site.
Following a Scottish Government decision last month granting Fife Council permission to build on Common Good Land, a matter that has caused great anger in the town, Councillor Neil Crooks, chair of Kirkcaldy area committee, has asked for the community to now unite behind the proposals.
He said: “I’m delighted that the issues around the location of Burntisland Primary School have been resolved.
“This decision represents a real step forward towards creating a fantastic new education facility in the town and I’m sure everyone from Burntisland, whatever their views on the use of the playing fields, would agree that the overwhelming need of the community was to build the new school as soon as possible and not waste any more precious time on the merits of sites.
“The way is now clear and the council need to start building for the future of primary education in Burntisland.
“In my personal view, there was no perfect site for this school.”
Campaign group Best4Burntisland has long argued that there are more suitable sites and took its case to the ombudsman citing four specific complaints.
The group claimed that Fife Council did not reasonably consult in selecting a site for the new primary school, did not reasonably consider other options for the site, did not adequately communicate their decision to select Toll Park and did not keep adequate records of the consultation process.
All four complaints were rejected last month.
While admitting that there now seemed little hope of preserving Toll Park, Ian McKenzie, from the group, said that they would maintain putting pressure on the local authority.
He said: “I don’t think that there’s much that can be done but make sure we keep Fife Council honest, in terms of doing the things they said they were going to do and the cost.
“There was a legal judgement in Arbroath that said that the council should replace public land that they are developing.
“There’s not going to be a long legal battle, but a precedent has been set and we will put that to Fife Council.”
The current Burntisland Primary School, located in Ferguson Place, hosts around 500 pupils and is badly overcrowded.
With no room for expansion, plans to construct an 800-pupil capacity school at Toll Park were drawn up.
However, Toll Park is Common Good Land and more than 500 people objected to the proposals.
With a planning application now in, should approval be granted, it is thought that the new school could be ready by August 2014.
jowatson@thecourier.co.uk