FLYERS will be delivered to every home in Saline to inform residents about plans to build up to 130 new houses in the village.

Saline Community Council will post them through letterboxes this week as they want everyone to have their say on Gladman Developments Ltd’s proposals for a large site on West Road.

It’s caused “considerable anxiety” as there are now three separate developers planning to build up to 270 new homes and a further site suggested that, if developed, could see the village “almost double” in size. More than 60 people turned up to discuss the latest proposal and new chairman David Chisholm said, “At the community council meeting concerns were expressed not only about the visual impact but also about the capacity of the village infrastructure to accommodate a housing development on this scale and in particular the implications for local services and amenities. At present there are no health facilities, only one small shop and post office and poor public transport.” The farmland, to the south of West Road, is on the outskirts of the village and next to Saline Primary School and Saline Parish Church.

The site has been included in the new Fife Plan, which maps out what can be built and where over the next two decades. Gladman Developments, based in Livingston, will hold a public exhibition after submitting a proposal of application notice (PAN) – which gives them 12 weeks to consult with the public – to Fife Council.

It will be in Saline Community Centre on Thursday 5th February between 3 and 7pm.

Greg Limb, a partner with Gladman Developments, said, “We’re promoting the land on behalf of the landowner.

“We’ve submitted an early PAN and we’ll hold an exhibition to get the community’s thoughts. I don’t think we have a settled view on the number of houses, when you submit the application you have to put a definition of the development.

“We normally put in a number that’s not going to be exceeded but we haven’t decided yet, it’s still very early in the process.” Planning permission already exists for two separate developments in Saline, either side of Oakley Road.

Land Regeneration and Development Ltd (LRD) received approval in January 2014 for 84 homes and, the following month, Kingdom Housing Association got the green light for 55 homes. Mr Chisholm says the community council will remain neutral and form an opinion after the consultation event.

He added that they recognise the need for additional housing, particularly affordable homes, but new sites should “be spread across a wider area”.

On the flyer, which will also go to homes in Steelend, he wrote that the Fife Plan includes West Road, both Oakley Road sites and a site at the top of Main Street, opposite Upper Kinneddar.

“If fully developed these sites would almost double the number of homes in Saline,” he said. “The community council believes that a more equitable approach is to build some homes elsewhere in the area. For example, on the old football ground at Steelend and at Kinneddar Park. This would have benefits for these two small communities and take some of the pressure off Saline.” Mr Chisholm added that Fife Council should work with locals to “create a strategic framework for Saline and Steelend that addresses social, economic and environmental issues”.

He said, “It is not acceptable that the shape and character of our community is determined by land-owning interests and developers meeting behind closed doors with Fife Council.”