THE operators of the site that had been set to become Rosyth Football Club's new home have said the shelving of plans for a supermarket had a direct impact on the plans.

Last week, the Press reported that the football club, which played in the East of Scotland League set-up, had taken the decision to fold after they said they couldn't agree to new terms to allow them to play at Pitreavie.

Rosyth, founded in 1992, had been searching for a permanent base to play since leaving their Recreation Park pitch, on Admiralty Road, in April 2018.

The club were asked to leave by Fife Council, with whom they had a lease agreement, after they agreed to sell the land to make way for the development of a Lidl supermarket.

As part of the deal, the developer, Mactaggart & Mickel, were to provide a 'like for like' replacement pitch and facilities.

There had been plans for that to be created at the Fleet Grounds - where the team had been playing matches and training - but that site was later ruled out when the council decided that the replacement Inverkeithing High School would be built there.

It appeared that a solution had been found with a new astroturf pitch and facilities built at Pitreavie - finished in the past month - and agreement for Rosyth to play there made.

However, last week, the club said that due to "recent developments and amendments to previously agreed terms, the club cannot agree to the new terms being forced upon us in respect of our proposed ground development, making the club not financially sustainable", leading their committee to take the decision to cease operations.

Pitreavie Enterprises Ltd, which operates Pitreavie Sport and Soccer Centre,  said that the decision by Lidl not to proceed with the Admiralty Road development impacted upon the original terms they had agreed with the club.

In December, Lidl said that they would "not be progressing" their plans for the site, with Mactaggart & Mickel saying that they would "look to explore alternative retailers interested in establishing a presence" there.

"For us, every agreement we had with Rosyth was purely contingent on there being a sizeable investment from Lidl," a Pitreavie Enterprises Ltd spokesperson said.

"When that Lidl investment didn't come to fruition, we went back to them and offered them a couple of different pricing structures, and they just deemed that to be too much for them to afford.

"It's a tough situation for them and us but, at the end of the day, it comes down to not getting that money in from Lidl."

Rosyth chairman, Russell Craig - who previously said that "the club could not sign an agreement which would ultimately see us in financial crisis in a couple of years" - said: "There was a vision, there was a clear vision for the football that this is how we were going to move forward, and in the first 10 years, we were really going to build the club moving forward.

"However, it just wasn't financially sustainable."

Following the club's announcement that they were to close, Dunfermline and West Fife MP, Douglas Chapman, said: "I met with club officials over the Christmas holidays and they were deeply concerned as Lidl had pulled out of their commitment the build a store on the ground once occupied by Rosyth FC.

"I alerted the council as they were involved in the Lidl deal and asked to have all parties around the table so we could work towards a solution which would give all parties a win-win from what was a difficult situation.

"Such a meeting was not possible and while the various parties have been in discussion individually with the council it has become apparent that no solution that meets Rosyth FC requirements could be found. I hope this is not the end of the matter but something will need to give and an alternative funding package offered if anything can be rescued from the situation."

Alan Paul, head of Fife Council's property services, said: "Since Lidl took the decision in December to withdraw from longstanding proposals to purchase land at Admiralty Road Rosyth, we have been supporting discussions between Rosyth FC and the operator of the sport facilities at Pitreavie.

"While the council has no planning or legal obligation to rehome the club, we have done our best to help them through this process.

"We will continue to work with local stakeholders to mitigate the impact of the club's decision and to support the development of sports provision for Rosyth and surrounding communities."