PLANS for a nursery in Dunfermline that can take 100 children have been approved by Fife Council.

Afzal Ghafoor, from Tranent, received the go-ahead for a change of use at Rannoch House, on the corner of New Row and Comely Park.

Proposals to turn the Victorian villa, previously used by the council as a social work office, into a nursery were first approved in September 2015 but no work was carried out and the three-year permission lapsed.

The plan is to open the nursery 52 weeks per year, Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 6.30pm, with up to 50 children attending the morning session and another 50 attending in the afternoon.

There will be 14 staff members, there is a parking space for each of them as well as 10 drop-off/pick-up spaces and three other parking spaces.

Employees will be encouraged to use public transport, car pool options and a bicycle shed on site, while a report said the nursery location was "ideal" for parents who commute to areas outwith Dunfermline using public transport for work or further education.

A planning statement on behalf of Mr Ghafoor added: "Although the nursery can accommodate up to 50 places, it is important to note that not all parents will arrive at the same time in the morning.

"From investigation into the operations of a nursery, parents drop their children off between 7.30am and 10.30am and collect them from 3 to 6.30pm.

"This allows for a steady flow of phased drop off and collection and will enable each parent to find a parking space within the 10 spaces provided."

There were five objections to the proposals, with concerns including parking, noise and access.

A council report concluded: "Outdoor play times and child numbers would be supervised by staff and whilst some noise and disturbance could take place when weather and hours permit, the frequency and separation by the fence and high mutual boundary walls is likely to result in a reduction in noise reaching and affecting the residential amenity of the neighbouring property.

"The proposal would also not operate during the evenings or at the weekend.

"It is considered, therefore, that the proposal, subject to conditions, would have no significant detrimental impact on the residential amenity of neighbouring residential properties."