Plan for Lidl supermarket hits buffers over football pitch

By Local Democracy Reporter Jon Brady.

Plans to bring a Lidl supermarket to a Fife town have hit the buffers after councillors maintained that an adjacent football pitch must be replaced as part of the deal.

The supermarket proposal for the former site of the Yard pub on Admirality Road in Rosyth has been in the works for several years.

Planning permission was first granted in April 2018, and the pub – a frequent target for fire raising – was torn down a year later.

As part of the agreement, site owners Mactaggart and Mickel were required to fund and build a new football pitch for Rosyth Juniors FC prior to construction of the store taking place. The club’s existing pitches will be lost to the new development.

However, in a proposal reviewed by Fife’s Central and West Planning Committee on Wednesday, the developer suggested providing a financial contribution towards a new pitch without carrying out the work itself.

It said that uncertainty over where to build the pitch had led to the decision.

However, the cash bid has been rejected by the committee after Fife planning officers said the offer was £350,000 short of covering the cost of a replacement pitch.

The exact amount being offered by Mactaggart and Mickel was not disclosed at the meeting.

Case officer Katherine Pollock told gathered councillors: “It would not be acceptable – it would mean there is no longer effective management in place to ensure the required football pitch is delivered.”

Andrew Verrecchia, Labour councillor for Rosyth, said: “There’s clearly a disparity in what’s being offered and what the relocation cost would be.”

The application was unanimously refused by the committee.

Following the meeting Craig Ormond, director of Mactaggart and Mickel, said the company was considering its next steps before deciding whether to appeal.

He said: “We are considering our position following the disappointing planning refusal and are yet to make a decision on our next steps.

“Clearly appealing this decision is an option however no decision has been made and we are likely to seek further discussions with all of the stakeholders before committing to a decision whether to appeal or not.”