A FRESH attempt to change planning conditions attached to proposals which could see a new Lidl and M&S Foodhall created in Dunfermline has been made.

It's three years since permission was granted for an extension to Halbeath Retail Park – which would include two supermarkets and promised more than 200 jobs – was granted, however, work has never started. And the clock is ticking since this permission remains valid only until August 3 this year when it will expire unless the development has begun before this date.

A dispute is thought to be holding it up as one of the conditions was a £703,000 bill for transport improvements in the area that the park owners, Royal London Mutual Insurance Society, didn't want to pay.

They are due to pay half – £351,617 – of their Strategic Transportation Fund Contribution before the start of work on the development and the remaining amount prior to any of the units opening.

However, they have now asked Fife Council to amend the condition and pay the whole amount before any retail unit opens.

Back in January 2016, the west planning committee rejected the proposed extension with opponents stating it would "kill the High Street" in Dunfermline but fresh plans were approved in February 2017.

Planning officers had recommended refusal but councillors voted 6-5 in favour.

As a condition of the extension being approved, Royal London was asked for £703,000 for transport improvements to ease congestion in the area caused by the nine new shops and food outlets.

An appeal by them against paying the sum was rejected by the west planning committee in January 2018 and they decided against a further appeal to the Scottish Government.

The Press contacted Royal London Mutual Insurance for details on the latest application and an update on their proposals, however they declined to comment.

Royal London also own a strip of adjacent land that the local authority need for the £14 million Northern Link Road (NLR) – and there's no agreement on that either. The NLR, to serve the new housing estates in north Dunfermline and take traffic away from the centre of town, will start at Kingseat Road and includes a £7 million road bridge over the Fife Circle railway line.

The stretch of Kingseat Road up to the level crossing is owned by Royal London and the council's attempts to buy it have so far come to nothing.