IT'S all swings and roundabouts in Kincardine with no new houses in sight but plans approved for a new public park.

The village's long awaited eastern expansion, with more than 600 homes and three retail units to be built south of Riverside Terrace, has been on the cards for around 20 years but not a brick has been laid and the latest applications are still awaiting consent.

However the new park, which is part of the legal agreement struck for the major residential development, has got the go-ahead and will include a multi-use games area (MUGA) and 'natural' playground equipment.

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A Fife Council report admitted: "Whilst it is noted that there is risk in potentially approving the current application on its own (given the current stage of assessment of the related applications), it is considered that this risk is ultimately minimal as the proposed development could exist independently of the wider Kincardine Eastern Expansion proposals and serve as a public park for Kincardine."

Applicant Kex Holdings, of Bearsden, will create the new neighbourhood park on 1.9 hectares of disused agricultural land to the south of Walker Street and close to the A985 trunk road.

Dunfermline Press: The housebuilding proposals, more than 600 new homes are planned, have still to be given consent by Fife Council. The housebuilding proposals, more than 600 new homes are planned, have still to be given consent by Fife Council. (Image: Newsquest)

As well as the MUGA and playground, the plans include public benches, bike racks, paths, decorative stone walls, entrance stairs and "extensive" landscaping including trees, hedgerows and a wildflower meadow.

The council report said: "The application site and surrounding land is identified as being potentially contaminated due to its proximity to a landfill site, with the site also identified as being within a coal mining high risk area.

"As with much of the southern edge of Kincardine, the application site is considered to be at risk of coastal flooding."

Conditions were attached to deal with these issues and the report added: "It is also proposed to upgrade Walker Street including widening and additional of pedestrian footway; the upgraded road would continue through the site to the neighbouring agricultural land to form a principal road through the allocated residential development."

The Kincardine Eastern Expansion has turned into a long-running saga and very little has happened since George Wimpey East Scotland was given planning permission in principle for houses and a business park in 2007.

Work never started, planning permission was extended three times, and a council report said consideration had to be given “as to whether the site will ever be developed”.

The applicant changed, the developer is now Kex Holdings, and so did the plans with the business park dropped and the affordable homes part of the development set to be provided elsewhere in Kincardine.

In early 2021 they submitted proposals for 581 homes and 24 flats and a separate application for the public park.

The latter has now been approved while the plans relating to the housing have still to be determined by the council.

However, new documentation was tabled by the applicant at the end of 2023 and there are high hopes there will be progress soon.