THERE are nine sites that Rosyth Football Club could move to after being made homeless three years ago as part of the deal to bring Lidl to the town.

Possible locations outlined at the South West Fife area committee yesterday (Wednesday) were Whinnyburn Place; Camdean Primary School; three areas around Park Road; the Fleet Grounds; the Civil Service Sports Club; Pitreavie playing fields or back where they started, at Recreation Park.

Area services manager Alastair Mutch told councillors: "The sites are options at this time. What I would stress is there have been no discussions with Rosyth FC or any of the landowners regarding these sites.

"It's basically a scoping exercise to identify green spaces and pitches that exist within the Rosyth area.

"There are pros and cons. Some of the sites are currently earmarked for other developments and some are currently football pitches used by various teams."

Rosyth FC moved out of Recreation Park in April 2018 after Fife Council agreed to sell the land for a Lidl supermarket.

As part of the deal, the developer was to provide a replacement pitch and facilities, which was to be at the Fleet Grounds.

However, neither supermarket nor pitch have been delivered and, in the meantime, the council identified the Fleet Grounds as the site for the new Inverkeithing High School.

Mr Mutch said the land at site one, Whinyburn Place, was privately-owned, it would be expensive to buy and the owners were "unlikely" to sell as they want to build houses there.

Site 2 is the playing fields at Camdean PS with "potential to develop a football pitch and pavilion on the western part of the site that does not flood".

Sites, 3, 4 and 5 are in the Park Road and Parkgate area where there are already well-used football pitches and a rugby ground.

Mr Mutch added: "Part of the area is also subject to flooding, unfortunately, so some form of mitigation would be required."

Site 6 is the Fleet Grounds where the South West Fife Community Sports Partnership have a 3G pitch that Rosyth FC currently pay rent to play on.

He said an enclosed community-use pitch – the SFA require Rosyth FC's pitch to have a boundary fence or wall around it – within the high school grounds would "obscure the views from the school and limit what teachers can observe pupils doing".

He said Rosyth FC had a "strong interest" in site 7, the now-closed Civil Service Sports Club and playing fields on Castle Road, and the owners, the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), have appointed consultants to speak to the "six or so" interested parties.

Mr Mutch continued: "This has included a conversation with Dunfermline Athletic and also Rosyth FC."

The consultants are expected to report back to CSSC with their recommendations at the end of this month.

The 'tabletop' pitch at Pitreavie is site 8, which was "some distance" from the pavilion and "heavily-used". Another pitch at the south-east of the site is hardly used due to flooding issues that would have to be resolved.

A return to Recreation Park was an option but he said Rosyth FC were not in favour and the council would lose out on capital receipts for the sale of the land and the town would not get its Lidl supermarket.