A FORMER West Fife coal mine could become a site for more than 1,000 houses if the right buyer is found.

The old Comrie Colliery, on Saline Road, has been undergoing regeneration works by the Comrie Development Company (CDC) since 2021 to make it "development ready" for tourism, leisure, business and residential uses.

The 495-acre piece of land is now back up for sale, after being marketed in 2018 as the “largest area of post-industrial dereliction in West Fife”, with the hope further investment would take forward planning applications in conjunction with interested parties.

Comrie Colliery opened in 1939 and it operated under lease from 1963 until its closure in 1986 but mining has taken place in the same location since at least the 1860s.

The former pit became an eyesore with a “myriad of environmental problems” and a bing said to have been “burning since the mid-1970s”.

Now, the old pump house is the only physical building remaining of the colliery workings at the site, located 1.5 miles north-west of Comrie and 1.8 miles south-west of Saline, with all other buildings and structures removed.

There is also an artificial loch which provides a focal point within the area, offering "significant potential for leisure facilities and landscaping opportunities".

Remaining parts of the land are still undergoing remediation, expected to be finished early this year.

Public consultation on proposals for a major development at Comrie Colliery took place in September and October last year and those interested were given the opportunity to comment on potential plans for leisure and tourism, employment, retail, retirement homes, residential, geothermal energy, open space, landscape works and paths.

Then, the application to Fife Council from CDC stated: "The structures associated with the colliery and coal carbonisation plant have been demolished.

"The majority of the bing has been re-profiled over time and work has been recently carried out on the further removal of the bing, with the material being used to cap the ash lagoons at nearby Valleyfield.

"Despite the works to rehabilitate the colliery bing being carried out by various owners and operators over time, the site remains a significantly environmentally-degraded brownfield site.

"The proposals are at an early stage with CDC seeking to initiate further engagement and start a dialogue around the planning and master planning process."

According to the sale advert, formal pre-application advice has been sought from Fife Council, who are supportive of the redevelopment, with around 220 acres earmarked for residential buildings.

It suggests that this space could accommodate between 400-500 houses, with scope to increase this figure to "well in excess of 1,000 units".

Potential buyers should make their own enquiries of the utility companies to confirm availability and capacity, while offers to representatives Bradley Hall must indicate a proposed purchase price, proof of funding and details of the proposed residential scheme.