WORK to improve "tired" community centres in Dunfermline is to continue after councillors agreed to provide further funding for the projects.

Members of the City of Dunfermline area committee agreed an allocation of £28,000 for a scheme which has already seen improvements carried out at Baldridgeburn, the Dell Farquharson, James Allan, John Marshall, Touch and Townhill community centres.

Further enhancements are planned for Baldridgeburn and Townhill this year and the latest financial support will help foot the bill.

The investment will particularly focus on the former, which council officers said was the “most tired community centre”.

The main hall floor and front room will be refurbished while lounge seating and kitchen improvements in the caretaker flat will be undertaken.

READ MORE: New street in Townhill named after 'witches' is putting house buyers off

The Townhill centre will also get automatic entry doors fitted to make the building more accessible.

“Over the last 12 months we’ve been working tirelessly to improve the look and feel of our community centres,” a report to the committee explained.

“You’ll have seen a significant improvement [at Baldridgeburn] so far. We’re looking to take that to the next level and make further improvements there this year.”

The aim is to create “warm and welcoming spaces" and after a year of hard work and renovation, footfall at the upgraded community centres is already increasing.

The number of people using the venues at Baldridgeburn and Abbeyview have both increased by 15 per cent.

At Dell Farquharson, it's up by nearly 90 per cent while there's been significant rises at the John Marshall and Townhill facilities as well.

“We strongly believe recent improvements at these community centres have played a key role in encouraging groups, businesses, and local residents to use our buildings more and bring more activity and events to local communities,” the committee report said.

READ MORE: Plans progressing for holiday park near Kelty

“Whilst a lot of work has been done to date, there is still some significant work to be done to continue with our enhancements."

Dunfermline North councillor Auxi Barrera described the changes which have already taken place as "amazing."

She added: "I cannot be prouder to say we have really good community centres in Dunfermline."

Fellow councillor Jean Hall-Muir added: "Incredible work has been done in our community centre.

"It is not just the physicality of them being significantly warmer and better wifi and fresh paint, the staff at the community centres have just been fantastic."

Cllr Gavin Ellis welcomed the project but called for more underused facilities to be included.

"One which concerns me is Kingseat," he said. "We have lost a community council there and we have youths wanting to use facilities going elsewhere.

"The community centres being improved are ones that are showing an increase in footfall and I would like to see that with Kingseat."

However Fife Council lead officer Brian Cashman said the usage posed an issue.

"It is something we are looking at – it is a case of chicken and the egg. There is significantly lower usage in Kingseat. It is something like 96 per cent underused.

"Only one group is using that centre so for me, it is difficult to justify spending something like £10,000 to put wifi in and infrastructure where we are only pulling one group into that centre.

"I think it is difficult to justify that when there are other centres in other areas in the same position who have a stronger pool of local community groups."