A CITY centre hostel could be closed and made into flats and offices under plans submitted to Fife Council.

The Kingdom Housing Association has asked for a material change of use of the James Bank Hostel.

They hope to "comprehensively renovate and upgrade" the premises and convert eight "sub-standard" three-bedroomed supported flats into eight two-bedroom/four person mid-market flats.

Kingdom say any closure will not take place until people supported at the James Street facility are given alternative accommodation.

READ MORE: Dunfermline's homeless hostel faces uncertain future

"For the last 20 years, James Bank has provided temporary accommodation for individuals affected by homelessness," said a spokesperson. "Our accommodation has provided lifeline support for over 1,300 people and Kingdom Support and Care (KSC) will maintain its commitment to meeting the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our community.

"Over recent years, with the support of Kingdom Housing Association and our partners at Fife Council, KSC has developed modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation – in Inverkeithing, Kirkcaldy and Rosyth – for individuals affected by homelessness. We hope to build on the success of these services by developing more properties which can accommodate small numbers of people who require temporary accommodation due to homelessness.

"We will not close our accommodation at James Bank until a suitable alternative is available for the individuals we support there currently.”

Questions have been asked previously about the hostel's future with calls in 2011 for it to be moved from the town centre so there would be "less temptations" for drug addicts staying there who had been caught committing crimes against nearby businesses.

Back in 2008, then Dunfermline councillor Willie Sullivan said many cases of shoplifting and petty crime in the centre could be traced back to the James Bank Hostel.

His comments were backed at that time by Dunfermline area Chief Inspector Bob Baker and Neil Mackie, manager of the adjacent Kingsgate shopping centre.

The latest planning statement submitted to Fife Council explained that the James Bank Centre provided a housing support service to adults who are experiencing homelessness and who may have drug and alcohol misuse issues living in temporary accommodation.

It provided 24-hour staffing to both a direct access hostel in the northern block and to a number of supported flats in the southern block. The overall aim of the service was to "assist people who are homeless to address and resolve their living situation through assisting them to access short term accommodation and providing support to ensure their health, wellbeing and safety".

The statement continued: "The supported flats are now vacant and only a few rooms in the Hostel are occupied. It is proposed that the remaining services operated from the James Bank Centre be transferred to other Kingdom Support & Care buildings and that the existing building be re-purposed to provide eight mid-market flats and a separate office/training centre for Kingdom Housing Association.

"It is proposed to comprehensively renovate and upgrade the three-storey southern block and convert the existing direct access hostel to an Office/Training centre for the Kingdom Academy.

"A new single storey extension is proposed to provide a main entrance, reception and lift access for the office and training centre."

The external appearance of the building will also be improved with new insulated render, new high-performance windows, external doors and new bay window cladding.

Battery storage and air source heat pumps will also be incorporated into the building to meet Kingdom's aims of being energy net zero.

The planning statement concluded; "The proposal seeks to make a positive contribution and provide much needed high quality affordable residential properties and provide an important training facility for Kingdom Housing Association.

"All external work will be undertaken in high quality materials with colours and textures that match the existing building and complement the surrounding environment and townscape.

"One of the main aims of this project is to significantly reduce buildings reliance on imported energy and fulfil Kingdom Housing Association’s requirements of attaining an Operational (Energy) ‘Net Zero’ building. This will ensure the building is environmentally and financially sustainable for years to come and have no reliance on fossil fuels."