THE main road through Inverkeithing High Street looks set to be moved as part of £4 million plans to regenerate the historic town's heritage.

Plans have been lodged by Fife Council to make the market square and conservation area less dominated by vehicles.

It means that the carriageway of the main north to south road will be moved west to widen the square.

Inverkeithing councillor David Barratt said: "This is all about formalising plans that have been long in the making. They're the next step in taking things forward.

"Work is expected to be starting outside the civic centre to test a section of the layout there to see what it will look like.

"Work on the Town House will start first and the town centre layout improvements are expected to begin in 2022.

"It's hoped that businesses will be attracted to the area as more investment is made in this historical heritage."

Parking will be re-aligned to take up less space and a small road at the south end where Thistle Locks & Alarms sits will be closed.

The taxi rank will also be moved to allow the square, listed buildings and Mercat Cross to be seen more clearly and recognised as an impressive architectural and historic place.

The layout improvements are all part of the wider investment of the £4 million, five-year Inverkeithing Heritage Regeneration scheme.

Plans have already been submitted for other parts of the upgrade for the conservation area, including transforming the Town Hall into a community hub and moving the Mercat Cross into a more central position, in front of 'Friendlies' Chinese takeaway.

The layout improvements will also see the surfacing upgraded to stone to reinforce the historic character of the town and surveys have been undertaken to match the existing features.

However, surfacing at the west side of the road where Scotmid is will remain tarmac.

The proposals have been informed by the views of the local community following consultation over recent years.

Other changes to be made in the conservation area will include new gateway features marking the approximate position of the original north and south 'ports', prioritising cyclists and pedestrians, new benches and cycle racks, new planters and trees, waste collection/bin stores and the replacement of contemporary lighting to 'period' lighting.

The overall project has funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government as well as Fife Council and is delivered in partnership with Fife Historic Buildings Trust.