THE Earl of Elgin first applied for permission to build new homes next to the M90 almost 25 years ago and a brick has yet to be laid.

Ownership and applicants have changed since his proposals were submitted to Fife Council in June 1999 for an old quarry off Dunfermline Wynd on the edge of Inverkeithing.

There's been a "continued failure" to develop the land and the latest bid has seen Antonine Property Development Group, of Bonnybridge, given another three years to start building nine new homes.

They received planning permission in March 2020 but with consent set to expire, they applied for a renewal in March 2023 and this has now been granted.

Dunfermline Press: Planning permission has been renewed for housing to the east of the M90 motorway at Inverkeithing. Planning permission has been renewed for housing to the east of the M90 motorway at Inverkeithing. (Image: Google Maps)

The sloping site, previously a whinstone quarry, is 0.5 hectares in size and just 160 metres to the east of the motorway.

Lord Elgin's application for outline planning permission was granted the following year, in May 2000, and Scotgem Building Contractors was the named applicant when seven houses were approved in May 2004.

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J&R Developments then got the go-ahead for eight homes in May 2007, this was amended and their new proposals for six townhouses were approved in January 2010.

An extension was then granted to Antonine in February 2013 and their plans for nine houses gained planning permission in March 2020.

They now have a further three years to build four semi-detached and five detached houses.

The plans include the formation of a new access road, parking, landscaping and associated works.

In agreeing to the renewal, a council report noted: "There has been no material land use change in planning circumstances since the previous planning permission was granted and it is therefore considered that there may not necessarily be a continued failure to begin the development within the time period of a further planning permission."