CAMPAIGNERS for a new £8 million health centre in Kincardine say they are "slightly hopeful" after a visit from Scottish Health minister Neil Gray.

Donald Campbell, who is chairperson of the village's community council, said the meeting had been a positive one.

"He met with the health centre staff first and he confirmed to them that the building was definitely past its sell by date and said there was a need for a new health centre," he said.

"After that he came up to the community centre and met with a couple of members of the community council. We put our case forward again that we have been trying to get this for years and years.

"One of the things that was raised was how we had the power station closures, first Kincardine and then Longannet, and none of the benefit has come to the community.

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"We said that we feel that we seem to be at the tail-end of everything that was going on and what the doctors and the staff are working under was intolerable."

Mr Campbell said they felt that they had been listened to.

"I must admit, he was very sympathetic and I am slightly more happy that we might have a chance of getting the health centre," he added. "I am not counting my chickens and it all rests on Scottish Government budget talks that are coming up.

"They are coming up in December and he said he was more than capable of fighting his corner to try and get money for his portfolio. We are just a small part. I am slightly hopeful but it is all down to money at the end of the day.

"We know budgets are tight, we all know the situation. We will keep working away as long as we need to try and get a new health centre."

Dunfermline MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville attended the meeting and has pledged to keep the project on the Scottish Government's radar, with hopes to prioritise funding if resources are available in the upcoming budget.

"This is not just about replacing an old building - it is about investing in people’s health and wellbeing," she said. "I am therefore encouraged by the health secretary agreeing to visit the health centre with me and also his recognition of the need for a new purpose-built facility in Kincardine.

"He has seen first-hand the challenges being faced and we both share the same vision - to bring a facility to Kincardine that the whole community can take pride in.

"The people of Kincardine deserve access to healthcare in a building that is fit for purpose, and I will continue to do all I can to ensure this essential investment is delivered as soon as possible."

Hopes for the much-needed facility on Feregait were dashed last year when the Scottish Government revealed that they were delaying funding until “the second half of the decade” because it was no longer a priority.

The current Kilbagie Street practice was condemned as "not fit for purpose" in 2016 and a new health centre was promised but patients and staff have had to endure years of delays and disappointment.

Earlier this year, NHS lodged a planning application for a new Kincardine facility in the hope that work could begin as soon as funding is in place.