THE WRECKING ball will swing into Fraser Avenue this year with major regeneration plans set to get the go-ahead.

Fife Council are progressing with the long-awaited redevelopment of the troubled Inverkeithing street with 230 homes to be demolished.

A planning application in principle is expected to get the go-ahead at Wednesday's west planning committee with hopes that building work will also start in 2016.

John Mills, head of housing, said demolition was likely to start in September or December and explained: "The timescale for demolition depends on the council's ability to relocate tenants within and outwith Fraser Avenue and on the outcome of asbestos and ecology surveys.

"Relocating tenants is, in part, dependent on turnover of housing stock elsewhere in Inverkeithing, Rosyth and other parts of Fife.

"Housing is in short supply and turnover is not something that Fife Council can control."

He added: "Asbestos surveys are required to all flats and results will influence the costs and approach to demolition as asbestos, where present, will require to be removed first."

The Fraser Avenue and Old Cricket site has around 230 homes, most of them flats in three storey blocks, as well as six shops, a number of garages and large areas of car parking.

The plan is to knock all the buildings down and replace them in phases with around 190 modern, affordable homes – it may be more when the final details are drawn up – and at least three shop units.

The work is scheduled to be completed by 2021 and a mix of housing types are proposed, including two storey family homes, two-storey cottage flats and possibly some three-storey houses.

Fraser Avenue will be realigned to slow down traffic and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

Two new main streets will be created, connected by a central square or village green with a new play park, with short terraces of houses, parking courtyards and houses with south-facing gardens.

The regeneration is being funded by Fife Council, the Scottish Government and Kingdom Housing and the first phase of demolition should see 1-51 and 2-84 Fraser Avenue and 2-12 Gray Place knocked down.

The council has been moving tenants and residents out of the street in preparation for the demolition with those not wishing to return to a new home now being rehoused elsewhere.

The first phase of development will be at the top of Fraser Avenue and Gray Place.

It was in the summer of 2011 that Fife Council decided to knock down the street and start again.

Fraser Avenue is in the 15 per cent most deprived areas of Scotland and a report said it had poor quality homes that were cold, damp and lacking in daylight, anti-social behaviour problems, alleyways that "do not feel safe" and no recognisable 'heart' to the community.

It also said the play park was in "poor condition", car parks were littered with "broken down vehicles" and areas of green space were "useless".

The council report said: "The social problems associated with Fraser Avenue are exacerbated by the poor quality of the building stock and the ambiguous definition of public and private space which negates any sense of ownership for the residents.

"The layout of the development also contributes to anti-social behaviour and fosters a feeling of insecurity.

"For example, the narrow, unobserved pedestrian links and undefined, uncared for public space are poorly lit and badly planned."

However, residents were also keen to talk up the area's strong sense of community, good transport connections and views out over the Forth.

Around 100 current tenants said they want to return and it's expected that nearly all of the properties in phase one will be offered to current residents.

It's planned to offer them the opportunity to select some of the fixtures and fittings, such as colour and style of front door, wall colours, taps and kitchen worktops.

The community will be asked about street names.