A LEADING supermarket chain has refused to rule out moving to Rosyth as speculation grows that they could soon open in the town.

Cut-price food retailer Lidl said that the Garden City remained a “town of interest” to them as sources close to Rosyth Juniors FC believe that they are set to submit plans to build on their Recreation Park ground.

In August, the Press reported that the football club would have to find a new home after Fife Council sanctioned the sale of their Admiralty Road park for a new supermarket.

Councillors accepted an offer that would see a store and car park built on the pitch with the rest of the land likely to become housing.

The suggestion was that the club, a member of the Scottish Junior Football Association who play in the South Division of the East Region leagues, should relocate to the Fleet Grounds.

That was agreed in November and, at the time of the sale of Recreation Park, a report to the council’s executive committee said: “The council has received an offer to purchase part of Recreation Park, Rosyth, from a developer seeking to construct a supermarket with ancillary car-parking on part of the existing football pitch and on the adjacent privately-owned site, formerly The Yard public house.

“As only part of the council-owned pitch is required for the retail scheme, the balance of the site offers potential for development of housing, subject to receipt of the necessary statutory consents.”

Although the identity of the supermarket firm has not yet been confirmed, the source said he had been told the company involved was “definitely Lidl” and that the developer expected a planning application to be submitted by late January.

Fife Council told the Press that they had not received a planning application from Lidl or any other firm in relation to the potential development on the Recreation Park site, and that there had been no further movement since receiving the developer’s offer.

When contacted for comment, Chris Scott, from Lidl, said: “Whilst Rosyth remains a town of interest for us we have no confirmed sites at this time.”

The football club, who have played at Recreation Park since 1992, are set to move to the Fleet Grounds as part of a sports hub that is being created at the site.

The council bought the Fleet Grounds from the Ministry of Defence in the summer of 2014 in a £133,000 deal and the South West Fife Community Sports Partnership (SWFSP) have been tasked with turning it into a multi-sport facility as part of a three-phase development.

The partnership agreed a 66-year lease with the council and work to install a new 3G pitch, costing £200,000, began last month and should be completed and ready to use by the end of March.

Although initial plans did not include the club – despite one of the partnership’s stated aims being to have all of Rosyth’s football teams based at the Fleet Grounds – they are set to move and chairman Davie Ogg said: “It will probably be around April before we see signs of life at the Fleet Grounds but we’ve seen an outline drawing of where our pitch will be.

“We have to sit around the table with councillors, the council, the SFA – everybody. As it stands, yes, we’re going, but when – we don’t know.”

After Rosyth FC’s move to the Fleet Grounds was confirmed, Councillor Mark Hood, executive committee member and chairman of Fife Sports Partnership, said: “I’m pleased that the terms of a lease have been agreed with South West Fife Community Sports Partnership for the Fleet Grounds facility. The lease will also provide Rosyth Juniors with the opportunity to relocate there. 

“Work is progressing to replace the old pitch. The council is providing funding for a new synthetic turf pitch and we’ll see a contractor start work on this early in the new year.

“Weather permitting, it is expected that the pitch will be completed and ready for use by the end of March.”

Last January, Lidl saw plans to open a store at Halbeath Retail Park rejected by councillors. A proposed development by Royal London Asset Management (RLAM), who manage the retail park, for nine new outlets were rejected, with opponents arguing it would “kill the high street”.

However, RLAM submitted revised plans in June to bring a Lidl and a Marks and Spencer Foodhall to the retail park in a proposal they said would bring more than 200 jobs.

In addition to Lidl and M&S, the plans include non-food shops, a reconfiguration of the car park with 303 new spaces, traffic safety measures and a new pedestrian crossing on Halbeath Road. 

The extension would be at the east end of the retail park with a new access road from the roundabout on Kingseat Road. At the time, RLAM said that a public consultation had found “over 90 per cent of attendees” were in favour Lidl and M&S moving in.