PROPOSALS to build a single house in Dunfermline have been refused as it may "detrimentally impact" on a much larger area where more than 4,000 homes are planned.

Fife Council rejected the application from Gray Construction Ltd who wanted to add another dwelling on land to the south of Somerville Avenue.

The firm put up seven houses there, after getting planning permission back in 2003, but moves to build any more have been rebuffed.

A council report conceded there were several points in favour of development but went on: "The site however is also situated within the DUN035 strategic land allocation (SLA) for Dunfermline north / west / southwest.

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"Whilst the proposal is small scale, it is considered that the proposal could detrimentally impact the future delivery of this area of the SLA given that there is no overarching development framework / masterplan in place and the needs / locations of the strategic infrastructure currently remain unknown.

"Furthermore an undesirable precedent could be set which could lead to the incremental development of this site in the absence of a masterplan."

DUN035 is included in Fife Council's local development plan and covers a sprawling area of almost 330 hectares and various sites.

Overall it's capable of delivering 4,200 homes, new primary schools, employment land, community facilities, shops, parks and public transport connections.

Some developments are already underway, such as in Wellwood where over 1,000 houses are being built, while plans are progressing for more than 2,000 new houses at Broomhall.

However there are no concrete proposals for Berrylaw which is adjacent to the Somerville Avenue site.

Gray had applied for planning permission in principle to build a single property on an area of farmland which is around 780 square metres in size.

A previous plan for a house on the site was rejected by the council in 2009, a decision that was upheld by the Fife planning review body the following year.