A DECISION on where the new Inverkeithing High will be built is set to be made in October.

Consultation on possible sites is still ongoing but calls to safeguard the community wing at the existing school were made this week.

The preferred site for a new school is still to be decided with six plots still being looked at. Three sites in Inverkeithing – one next to the current school, and two sites north of the A921 have been mooted along with three plots of land in Rosyth at the Fleet Grounds, HMS Caledonia and West Rosyth.

Councillor Alice McGarry said they were concerned that the wing would go if the school was built on a different site.

"It is the only community centre in the area. Dalgety Bay doesn't really have a proper one – it is the only swimming pool that is publicly accessible," she said.

"It is not just as simple as a school. There is more to it. There is the impact on the High Street and there is the ongoing stuff at the wing. It is the only place where kids can go for a relatively cheap night out on a Friday."

Fellow councillor Dave Dempsey said the wing had the "unequivocal backing" of all local representatives.

"We have been fighting the corner for the wing off and on for years," he said. "We are very aware that the swimming pool – it is not huge but it is something – would not be replaced if the wing went. They don't put pools in schools anymore.

"I would want to retain the facilities of the wing and the easiest way to do that is to retain the building. I would not rule anything out. I want to wait and see the details but it is unique. It offers things that are not replicated in other community-use buildings in Fife. It is a facility that we value highly and we will do all we can to be sure that the facility remains. It is a stand-alone building so they could retain it."

Cllr Dempsey said the decision about the new school's location was a case of Inverkeithing versus Rosyth.

"The battle lines have been drawn up. It is basically Inverkeithing v Rosyth – there is no secret in that and the council divisions are no longer party political. It is what ward you represent," he added.

"Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay councillors will be doing everything they can to persuade them to build the new school where the present one is."

Head of Education and Children's Services Shelagh McLean said no decision has been made yet on a preferred site for a replacement Inverkeithing High or the future of the community wing at the school.

"From the feedback we have received already from the local community, we understand that this is a well utilised community asset and any future plan should ensure that we consider any community impact," she said.

"Once all this feedback has been summarised, this will be contained in a report to the education and children’s services committee on 29th October seeking a decision based on officer recommendations."