COUNCILLORS have agreed to relax noise restrictions on a Rosyth housing development after it was deemed they were unenforceable.

An application from Kapital Residential Ltd sought to have two conditions to previously-agreed planning conditions deleted for its Hilton Garden City development.

Members of Fife Council's Central and West area planning committee heard the application related to an area of land approximately 200 metres in length, to the north of Admiralty Road and 36 new homes.

The request was to remove two conditions. One, condition C, would restrict maximum noise levels to 45 decibels between 11pm and 7am when readings are taken inside any bedroom in the development.

The other, condition D, aimed to restrict the 16-hour equivalent continuous sound level to 50 decibels between 7am and 11pm when readings are taken in outdoor amenity areas.

Conditions remain which were applied to ensure a 16-hour equivalent continuous sound level would not exceed 35dB between 7am and 11pm when readings are taken in any noise-sensitive rooms in the development, and the eight-hour equivalent continuous sound level would not exceed 30dB between 11pm and 7am when readings are taken inside any bedroom in the development.

The proposal had attracted 14 letters of objection which had raised concerns including fears over noise levels from the road, anti-social behaviour and lack of privacy without an acoustic sound barrier.

Fife Council service manager Mary Stewart said since the original permission had been granted in 2015, there had been ongoing discussions between the applicants, Fife Council and Transport Scotland, who control the adjacent A985.

"It is now accepted requirements of conditions C and D can only be tackled through the provision of a physical roadside acoustic barrier," she said.

"In places, that physical barrier would meed to be a minimum – granted not along the whole length – of five metres in height unless it could be constructed along the road verge.

"In terms of constructing it on the road verge, I am advised it would cause a definite danger.

"As a planner, my advice is that by moving part C and D of the conditions, we would arrive at not an ideal position but the best position possible in planning terms."

Councillor Mino Manekshaw asked if any alternatives were possible, adding: "Accepting the existing condition is not achievable, is there a better condition?"

However, council solicitor Christopher Glendinning said the committee had the option of refusing permission.

He added: "If specialist advice has been lodged by the applicant and is accepted, then I think there is not more much more planning can do."