Pharmacy go-ahead to open in Saline Community Centre

In a saga that's dragged on for six years, through a number of appeals, delays and an 'absent' panel chairman, Lisa Duncan was given the news that she can open up in the community centre next year.

Her bid was initially opposed by Dears, who run the nearest pharmacy in Oakley and tried to argue it wasn't needed, but more than 200 local residents supported her and the decision has now gone in her favour.

Lisa told the Press: "It's finally done and dusted so I'm delighted but still a bit shellshocked.

"To say it's been a long time coming would be an understatement!

"It was 2018 I first spoke to the community council and contacted Fife Council about the lease for the area I would be in.

"The following year was the application to the health board and that's it finally finished."

The pharmacy will go in the underused Saline Community Centre, and hopefully will breathe new life into the premises. (Image: Newsquest) READ MORE: Drunk woman spat in eyes of PC in 'disgusting' incident

She continued: "The appeal from Dears has been dismissed, I'm on the provisional list and aim to open up by the end of March.

"There's a lot of work still to be done but if I can open before then I will.

"What's been really lovely is I put a post on a Saline Facebook page, just to give them an update, and the response has been quite incredible.

"There have been so many well-wishers and really positive comments. I'm really looking forward to getting started."

Planning permission, to offer an enhanced pharmacy service from the underused community centre in Saline, was straightforward and approved by Fife Council in 2022.

However, after a hearing, Lisa's initial application to the NHS Fife Pharmacy Practices Committee was refused.

Her appeal was successful in June 2023 and the chair of Saline and Steelend Community Council, David Chisholm, had said at the time: "It was a real David vs Goliath battle but the little people have prevailed."

However there was a bitter pill to swallow three months later when Dears, who had outlined their opposition in the hearing, appealed against the decision.

The National Appeals Panel was due to determine the case but it was without a chairman until March of this year.

A backlog of cases had built up and locals had to be very patient and wait until late last week, when it went in Lisa's favour.

She said: "It does seem to be a very clunky process but I think a lot of the delays were down to Covid and then not having a chairman for the panel.

"I'm not the only person who was affected, there were several people in the same position, but I think I've got the record for the longest wait!"

Mr Chisholm told the Press that "local people were furious" when they discovered that Dears had appealed and called their claims "ludicrous".

He recalled: "At the first hearing Dears misled the panel (who did not know Saline and Steelend) claiming that we were part of the Oakley 'neighbourhood', despite a three mile band of agricultural land between the two communities.

"They also argued that people without access to a car had no difficulty getting to Oakley!

"I don't think Dears' MD who presented their case had ever used the bus service."