A TOP-CLASS sports hub could kick-off a new lease of life for the current Woodmill High site when the school moves to a joint campus in Halbeath.

That's an option when the land is vacated and would help appease people in Abbeyview upset about a replacement school being built outwith the area.

The new schools and Fife College were discussed at the education and children's services committee on Tuesday and convener Fay Sinclair, who also represents Dunfermline South, said: "There are opportunities with the site at Woodmill, with the pitches you have the potential for a standalone sports hub to be established there.

"There are a lot of different options that need to be explored and that's the recommendation we passed at the committee."

As well as the grass pitches at both schools, Woodmill has an astroturf surface – the only one suitable for hockey in West Fife – and a Woodmill and St Columba's Community Sport Hub was started in 2016, with Dunfermline Reign Basketball Club, Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club, Carnegie Judo Club, Dunfermline Boxing Club and Abbeyview Bowling Club already operating there.

While they want to help design new sports facilities at the £180 million learning campus at Halbeath, there's an opportunity to develop what's already there, which could mirror the facility at the Fleet Grounds in Rosyth.

Cllr Sinclair added: "I like the idea of a sports hub on that site, we'll have to look at what's needed and the demand, but with the community empowerment act you could have a community asset transfer where it's run by the community themselves."

She also confirmed that pupils from S3, S4 and S5 are expected back at Woodmill in January with children to be taught in two-storey 'modular accommodation'.

Demolition work began this week on the badly-damaged east wing of the fire-hit school buildings and all pupils should return by August 2020 at the latest.