MULTI-MILLION pound plans to transform a former opencast coal mine near Kelty into an 'eco-therapy wellness park' have been revealed.

The St Ninian's site, which is 930 acres in size and was put up for sale by Hargreaves Land a year ago, includes Loch Fitty and has been bought by National Pride, a Community Interest Company (CIC).

They want to develop a beautiful parkland – they have a "world class" design team – with places for relaxation and rejuvenation to boost mental and physical health, including those suffering from cancer and heart disease, create jobs and put money back into the local community.

Proposals include restoring the trout fishery and creating an aquatic centre for rowing and sailing at Loch Fitty, while the park will have ‘wellness lodges’, comprising geodesic domes, tree houses and mobility-accessible lodges.

Irene Bisset, chair of National Pride, stated: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to add this wonderful place to our eco-therapy wellness series of projects.

"As the new custodians of St Ninian's, we will create vibrant and restful places for all to experience the beauty and healing power that nature can bring into all our lives.

"We will also create a leisure and tourism destination that will provide significant economic and community benefit to the area.

"Our plans include the rewilding of much of the area, as our commitment to the decarbonisation of the environment, all sensitively crafted to enhance nature and stimulate both mental and physical health for our guests.”

National Pride is a CIC that works with international partners and investors to deliver "vibrant communities, social housing, wellbeing projects and social care developments" throughout the UK.

St Ninian's is next to Junction 4 of the M90, on the other side of the motorway from Kelty, and 10 per cent of the net profits from the site will be put into local community projects.

The proposals say that sufferers of cancer, heart disease, pulmonary ailments, obesity and diabetes will be able to get the benefits of outdoor activity in an oxygen-rich ‘eco-environment’, created through sensitive planting of trees and other flora.

Physical and mental therapy and relaxation will also be provided within ‘wellness spas’.

It will use green technology for energy, work with locals to create long-term employment, offer training opportunities and build an arts, museum of mining history and entertainment centre, which will also host conferences.

Elements of the Fife Earth Project, created by the late landscape designer Charles Jencks, will be retained and it will be a showcase for "local and national gastronomic excellence" with food from local producers and grown on site.

Philip Rayson, senior planning and development manager at Hargreaves Land, said: “St Ninian's is a fantastic site with great potential to deliver significant benefits to the area and the investment and scale of environmentally-sensitive development that National Pride have planned are very exciting.

"This is the second site Hargreaves Land has sold to National Pride and we are confident that the site is in good hands and look forward to watching their plans for the site develop."

That site is a former mine in East Ayrshire and, while no figures have been given for St Ninian's, the project to develop an eco-therapy wellness park on just over 100 acres near Auchinleck by 2024 is estimated at £100 million.

The new owners confirmed they will be keeping the landforms created as part of Mr Jencks' Fife Earth Project.

National Pride said the masterplan for the site would comply with Fife Council's plans and policies for the site.

Including forest and agricultural land, it was designated by the local authority for leisure, tourism and recreation uses.

Gordon Mole, head of business and employability at the council, said: "Fife Council welcomes confirmation of the sale of, and emerging plans for, St Ninians and Loch Fitty, which have the potential to support our tourism sector and local economy, as well as the wellbeing of local communities.

"We look forward to receiving a planning application, and to working closely with National Pride and its partners, to create an area which complements the local environment and landscape, whilst creating a leisure destination in the heart of Fife.”