PLANS for the £6.5 million community hub in Abbeyview are finally on the table five years after the project was first brought forward.

Delays were inevitable due to the pandemic but after months of consultation with local families, an application has now be submitted for planning approval.

Fife Council first recognised in 2017 that the Tryst and Abbeyview community centres needed extensive upgrading to be fit for the future. 

The old Abbeyview local council offices have been earmarked as the best place for the new ‘hub’, located right in the centre of Abbeyview, by bringing three buildings together. 

Extensive consultation has taken place with the council’s community team, Abbeyview Futures Group and the local community on the project and the seal of approval was given by families last month. 

It involves the demolition of the Tryst Centre and likely the community centre too when the hub opens but that is yet to be agreed.

The former local office will be refurbished with the hub due for completion in 2023-24.

A planning statement says: “The design solution proposed for this new facility is the product of the creative development of the original concept in consultation with all stakeholders including the client (Fife Council), Abbeyview Futures Group, and the local community groups.

“Extensive pre-application discussions with all parties has resulted in a design proposal which satisfies the needs of both the Community Service, and the local community. 

“It has been designed within the budget constraints of the client and provides a new, modern, 21st-century multi-user building for residents of Dunfermline.”

While redevelopment work takes place, Fife Sports and Leisure Trust have confirmed that a studio at the Carnegie Leisure Centre will be used to house existing facilities at the Tryst Centre to deliver community learning and support.

The move means that users such as the Job Club, Adult Basic Education and Fife College outreach classes will continue.

As reported in the Press in October, some in the community had concerns whether the design of the new hub would be big enough to fit their needs. 

The council engaged in one-to-one consultations with stakeholders to try to find a solution, ending in them making a commitment to revisit the need for an extension to the hub if needed in the future. 

Councillor Helen Law told the Press: “The need for a new facility at Abbeyview has been long-standing.

“There has been a lot of communication between Abbeyview Futures Group and the community and we have been trying to accommodate local groups such as the kids’ club and disco. 

“We’ve got to the point where we’ve got a plan on the table with the commitment that we will look to get a games hall in a separate proposal in the future.

“There is real concern that there will be a need for more facilities when the Woodmill High School facilities are gone.

“There is a promise from Fife Council should the concern materialise and there has been land allocated on the site for this.”