PLANNING permission has been granted to turn the former Johnson's nightclub in Dunfermline into flats.

Fife Council gave the go-ahead last week for the conversion of the grade C-listed building at 6-8 Pilmuir Street.

Ramesh Jangili, of IFA Homes in Reading, submitted plans in March to create a three-bedroom flat, four two-bedroom apartments and two one-bedroom flats on the first and second floors.

The former Women's Institute building dates back to 1912 – it was funded by the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust to provide a meeting place for young women.

It later became a youth centre and, in 1980, Johnson's nightclub opened on the first and second floors, with amusement arcades on the ground floor.

After 37 years as a main fixture in Dunfermline's nightlife, it closed in November 2017 and the owners put the building up for sale.

The premises at 6-8 Pilmuir Street was bought, along with the double upper flat at number 10, the ground-floor store at 12 and the shop at 14, in September last year.

Mr Jangili's proposals included nine communal parking spaces and seven covered spaces for bicycles.

The council said it was "not necessary" to include a condition on parking as the site was located in the town centre with a number of nearby public car parks and the bus station across the road.

The report added that there was "no useable garden ground" for the flats but this criteria "could be relaxed as the proposal would involve the conversion of a listed redundant building which would allow the long-term future of the building to be secured".

There was one objection, with concerns about a new flat roof being "detrimental to the character of the building", but council officers deemed the proposals would be "visually acceptable".

And the report concluded: "The proposal is compatible with its surrounds in terms of land use; would not cause any significant detrimental impacts on the amenity of the surrounding area or road safety and is considered acceptable in terms of its visual impact on the surrounding Dunfermline Conservation Area and this category C-listed building."

A planning condition requires details of the specification and colour of the proposed external finishes to be submitted and approved by the council before work starts.

Two listed buildings nearby, the former Dunlop factory and the old Carnegie Clinic, have already been turned into apartments.