A HOLE lot of trouble that appeared in a Dunfermline car park in 2017 should be fixed this summer.

Fife Council have now approved a plan to spend £50,000 tackling a subsidence problem outside the 19th century Viewfield House.

The collapse of a manhole cover created a hole – described as "15 feet deep" by one angry homeowner – in the Viewfield Terrace car park next to the category B-listed property.

Earlier this year, the council apologised for the "ongoing disruption” to local residents and motorists and said work was expected to start this summer. The way is now clear after listed building consent was granted.

The three-storey Viewfield House was built by James Blackwood, Provost of Dunfermline, around 1808 and was sold to the Carnegie Trust and used as offices in 1915. It later became an art school before being converted into eight flats around 1982/83.

Back in October 2017, one of the homeowners, Rocco Gallo, complained to the Press that the crater in the car park was “about 15 feet deep” and had been left untouched for months.

A council report outlined the problems and said: "Historically, it appears that a steel cover was installed through one of the arches to act as a coal deposit for Viewfield House.

“This has since failed, resulting in a section of carriageway collapsing into the chamber below."

An inspection highlighted a number of defects and under the collapsed roadway council officers found “historic ice chambers” – commonly used prior to the invention of the fridge – that would have served the historic house.

A masonry arch bridge which connects the property with the car park will be repaired and the first three steps replaced with Darney sandstone, while two parapets and an arch will be reconstructed.

Below the arch bridge staircase, there are seven barrel vaulted stores at the basement level of the house which support the south carriageway of the car park.

The arch of one of the stores has degraded over time and resulted in a section of the carriageway collapsing into it.

The damaged arch will be reconstructed and railings will be repaired or replaced where appropriate.