NOT a brick of a proposed new 800 housing development in Kelty should be laid until there is an agreement in place for a new health centre for the village.

That is the view of Alex Rowley MSP, who has this week written to the Head of Planning at Fife Council as well as the CEO and chair of NHS Fife, asking them to come together and put in place a costed proposal for a new health centre for Kelty.

The Kelty man, and Scottish Labour Deputy Leader, also highlighted the 800 house development proposal off Cocklaw Street, in his response to a Scottish Government consultation on the future of planning in Scotland as an example of major house building not taking account of infrastructure needs.

Speaking to the Times Mr Rowley said: “The current medical centre in Kelty is bursting at the seams and struggling to meet the current demands placed on it. "The Practice has made clear that they would not be able to provide a service to residents from a new 800 house development but the developers have said it is not their problem.

"Well I am saying it better be someone’s problem because it is not going to be Kelty’s problem and not a brick should be laid until there are some answers”.

The MSP has said there will have to be detail of all the public service requirements before a new development of the scale being proposed can go ahead and that this should include the requirements for education and health within the village.

He is due to meet with the chair and CEO of NHS Fife later this week and the issue of a new medical centre is on the agenda.

In his letter to NHS Fife he states: “I believe that there is a responsibility on NHS Fife to look at this situation and make direct representations to Fife Council Planning Services setting out what will be needed and putting forward costed proposals for consideration in a section 75 condition of planning approval."

Mr Rowley concluded: “We must make sure that where new housing developments of this scale are proposed all the public services that are required are put in place, nothing else will be acceptable and the authorities must now work together to ensure this happens”.

The village has grown significantly in size over the past 10 years with the population now well over 5,000.