A DECISION to reject plans to turn Dunfermline's former driving test centre into a dental and healthcare clinic has been overturned.

Dr Kevin Kit, from the House of Ikigai, had applied to Fife Council for permission to change the use of 40 Millhill Street from flats for medical purposes.

His application was refused by the local authority in June in the interests of road safety.

Dr Kit requested a review and Fife's Planning Review Body has decided to overturn the initial decision and grant the application, subject to conditions.

Rejecting the initial application, Fife Council had said: "In the interests of road safety; the proposed development would have no off-street parking spaces which would lead to an increase in the number of cars parking on-street on the surrounding roads which could impede traffic flow and could constitute a safety hazard to other road users, furthermore, the proposal could also eventually displace vehicles to other streets within the surrounding area which could create issues with on-street parking within neighbouring streets.

"The proposal would, therefore, be contrary to Policies 1 and 3 of the Adopted FIFEPlan (2017) and Making Fife's Places Supplementary Guidance (2018)."

The Planning Review Body met on September 27 and decided that the application should "be approved subject to conditions (reversing the appointed officer's determination)" after Dr Kit provided evidence to suggest that "ample" parking was available in the surrounding area.

As reported previously by the Press, Dr Kit had stated that the former driving test centre in Dunfermline would be converted into a dental hygiene and holistic healthcare clinic.

On the plans, one room seems to be for the dental clinic and a second room for a 'medical wellbeing centre'.

Opening hours would be from 8.30am to 8pm, seven days a week, and a planning statement added: "The centre offers personalised medical health and wellbeing, with medical and pharmacy services.

"All services are free from offensive noise, and outputs with services and devices offered.

"The centre will offer super-personalised, tailored medical services and therefore plan to be seeing one, perhaps two, patients an hour, therefore minimal traffic and congestion."

He said services would include medical face treatments by medical experts, teeth whitening by a dentist and 'mental wealth' services by qualified professionals.

The driving test centre was in Millhill Street before moving to Pitreavie. It closed in 2019 and tests are currently being offered from the Vine Centre on Garvock Hill.