THERE are plans for a new artificial football pitch at Pitreavie playing fields in Dunfermline.

The full-size, all weather surface would be built in front of the pavilion and the project is likely to cost at least £300,000.

Pitreavie 20/20 have applied to Fife Council for planning permission.

The proposal is to replace an existing grass football pitch with a 110m x 60m 3G all weather astroturf.

It would also have eight-metre-high floodlights and security fencing measuring four metres in height would be erected around the playing surface.

There were previous plans for an artificial pitch at Pitreavie but they became embroiled in Dunfermline Athletic’s financial problems.

Fife Council initially set aside funding for it and planning permission was granted in August 2012.

It was part of an ambitious 10-year masterplan, ‘A Sports Facilities Strategy for Fife’, which was approved in 2008 and envisaged an SFA-backed £4million football academy at Pitreavie.

However, a wrangle over the lease at Pitreavie ended up in court with a legal dispute between the council, who own the land, Dunfermline Athletic, who had a 60-year lease and used to train there before pulling out and going to McKane Park in February 2015, the pension fund of former Pars owner Gavin Masterton and the charity he set up, the Pars Trust, which had a sub-lease.

The uncertainty and Athletic’s plunge into administration prompted a switch of focus and the council decided the money should go to Rosyth, a town poorly served by sports facilities, instead.

The council then spent a total of £533,000 there. They bought the Fleet Grounds from the Ministry of Defence in 2014 for £133,000 and leased the site to the South West Fife Sports Partnership, who are creating a multi-sports hub.

They also provided funding of £400,000 for the first phase, including an artificial pitch, which will be fully operational next month.

After the situation at Pitreavie was resolved, a new group involving Mr Masterton, called Pitreavie 20/20, took over and it is now the Pitreavie Sport and Soccer Centre.

Back in July 2015, the group had outlined ambitious plans for the site, with the aim of creating a “community sports asset that is the envy of many other communities across Scotland”.

Their preliminary vision was to upgrade the existing facilities, add in new five-, seven- and 11-a-side pitches that would be suitable for more than one sport, and improve the cricket pitch and football pitches.

A state-of-the-art sports injury centre was also part of the plans and they said they had held discussions with the SFA and Sportscotland about Pitreavie becoming a coaching facility.

No-one from Pitreavie 20/20 was available for comment ahead of the Press deadline.