New city quarter at Broomhall is 'good news' for Dunfermline

That's the view of Peter Stirling, managing director of Stirling Developments, who wants work to start this year on the massive housing expansion to the south-west of Dunfermline.

The plans for a "new city quarter" called Kingswood also include two primary schools, shops, employment and commercial units, healthcare facilities, parks and green space, with construction taking place over the next 25 to 30 years.

Mr Stirling said: "Broomhall has all the attributes to be a big success.

"It is one of the most desirable sites in Fife and the Edinburgh region.

The development at Broomhall, to the west of Dunfermline, will see new houses, schools, shops and offices built on 542 acres of farmland. (Image: Stirling Developments)

"I firmly believe Broomhall is a good news story which will benefit Dunfermline and help support its city centre."

While the western expansion will be "an enormous challenge", he said it would provide better support and investment for the city centre, improve its attraction and deliver jobs on site, reducing the need for locals to commute to Edinburgh.

Stirling Developments took inspiration from The Grand Plan for Dunfermline which was unveiled in 1920.

It included a major development at Broomhall and spoke of “grand boulevards and regal architecture” but was never realised.

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Mr Stirling, in a design statement to the council, said: "The Broomhall project has been 100 years in the making.

"Our plans aim to make it well worth the wait and become a positive, lasting legacy for Dunfermline."

Their own journey began in 2004 when his company bought some of Lord Elgin's land and the development rights.

Despite 56 letters of objection - including three from the community councils of Crossford; Rosyth; and Charlestown, Limekilns and Pattiesmuir - planning permission in principle was granted by Fife Council in December 2018.

At the time it was described as a £600m project that would create more than 7,000 jobs.

Mr Stirling continued: "A project of the scale and importance of Broomhall is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel very privileged to be leading it.

"As project leader and lead developer, my company, Stirling Developments, carries a lot of responsibility to successfully deliver Broomhall.

"However, I know from previous experiences that there will be many unexpected challenges that will need to be overcome during the course of the project.

"These could include unforeseen costs and constraints associated with infrastructure, planning gain and possibly even another future housing market crisis."

It's thought the vast new housing estates will house around 4,700 people and a quarter of the properties will be affordable homes.

The latest part of the masterplan, which includes details on the roads, cycleways and footpaths, as well as access arrangements, drainage and open space, was submitted to the council last week.

Development will take place on 542 acres of land to the west of Pitreavie Business Park which is composed of three farms - Blackhall, Easter Gellet and Wester Gellet - which have steadings and buildings in "various states of disrepair".

Mr Stirling said the site "does not suffer from any obvious handicaps, such as ground remediation issues or major utility constraints" and added: "Delivery of the project is paramount and we need to be mindful that there will be certain limits as to what it can afford without undermining its financial and delivery capacity.

"A project of this scale and complexity is an enormous challenge, which will require the help of many other people and companies as it evolves."