PLANS for 116 new homes in the Masterton area of Dunfermline have been approved by Fife Council.

Developers Taylor Wimpey were given permission to build on a 6.2 hectare site on old farmland to the east of Old Duloch House on Aberdour Road.

More than 400 new homes are proposed for the catchment area of Masterton Primary and developers will be asked to fund a £1.9 million, four classroom extension at the school.

As well as this site, also known as Meadowlands, Taylor Wimpey received permission in March for 90 homes on a nearby site to the south of Aberdour Road.

And the council stated that there is a Dover Heights site which is allocated for 225 new homes in the new FIFEplan. At present, no application has yet been submitted for this site.

There is a capacity risk at Masterton and Woodmill High School and controversial plans to re-draw the catchment areas were rejected by councillors.

The council's education department had suggested that Masterton pupils should go to Inverkeithing High instead of Dunfermline High.

A three-storey block of flats is planned at Meadowlands which would contain 12 homes while the remaining units would be a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses.

A total of 28 of the properties will be allocated as affordable housing.

As part of the conditions for the planning permission, Wimpey Taylor are required to provide money to fund education provision in the area.

A report to the council's west planning committee said the developers needed to provide a total of £1,366,442.

It said this would go towards the solutions for the educational capacity risks at Woodmill and Masterton with £698,521 being allocated for primary provision and £667,921 for secondary school contributions.