A NEW housing development has been approved for Cardenden and work is progressing.

Councillors at the Central and West Fife planning committee approved plans to build 43 new homes north of Cardenden Road, the main road to Kirkcaldy.

Last Wednesday, councillors heard that the development, from Lochay Homes, will be made up of 20 affordable houses, which will be signed over to Kingdom Housing to run, and the rest will be homes for sale.

In a report to the committee, planning officers wrote: “The site is considered to be in a location with good connections to sustainable modes of travel.

"It is within walking distance of amenities and public transport links including the bus and train.”

At the meeting, concerns were raised by councillors over the proximity of the site to a water treatment plant, but were told by William Shand, Fife Council planning officer, that the number of residences had been reduced from 100 and an ecological barrier was planned in order to keep the homes a suitable distance from the Scottish Water site.

There would be a mixture of 2, 3 and 4 bed units at the site. It would be a mixture of market and affordable houses with 20 units being provided as affordable houses.

The site would have one point of access from Cardenden Road with residential properties fronting this access on the eastern side. The road would travel east into the site before turning south where it would branch into two cul-de-sacs.

A SUDS basin would be situated at the north east corner of the site with open space provided at the north west with a small play area. Tree planting would occur between the blocks of housing and in the area to the north east of the site, councillors heard before they unanimously approved the plans. Our picture shows the site on Friday.