OBJECTORS to a plan involving Calais Woods in Dunfermline have been led down the wrong path after complaining about a proposal that hadn't been proposed.

Flummoxed Fife Council officers said many of those who opposed the application had misunderstood what was actually in it and were unduly concerned about nothing.

Councillors were asked to determine Persimmon and Bellway's plans for an embankment between the 193 houses they're set to build, at the former Shepherd Offshore site, and Calais Woods.

The application was referred to the central and west planning committee because of the number of objections – 21 – that were received.

However council planner Jamie Penman said: "I think there's possibly been a bit of miscommunication with some of the objections in that many of them reference a path that's conditioned to be provided in a similar area.

"So lots of them have objected to the path being constructed in this area but, just to be clear, this application isn't proposing a pathway.

"It's purely for the embankment works."

The committee was told that Persimmon and Bellway had received permission earlier this year to proceed with phase two of the housing development at the site in Halbeath, a total of 193 homes.

However, at that time they hadn't included details of the embankment they need to address the "difference in ground levels".

Phase one, next to the £220 million Dunfermline Learning Campus, is already completed and consists of 225 homes.

Roughly 200 metres long, the embankment will extend along the southern boundary of the housing site.

It will encroach, in some places by up to seven metres, into the 15 metre buffer zone between the new homes and Calais Woods.

Objectors also raised concerns about the impact on the trees, as well as drainage and flooding.

Mr Penman said: "Calais Woods is covered by a blanket tree preservation order (TPO).

"The main determining factor for this application is whether the proposed works have a detrimental impact on the trees within the woods.

"The applicants submitted a statement from a qualified arborist who confirmed the proposed works would have no impact on the roots of the trees within the TPO area.

"So while the concerns raised by objectors have been noted, the application raises no concerns in terms of its impact on the trees so the recommendation is for conditional approval."

Cllr Bobby Clelland asked if materials were being brought on site to create the embankment, citing the impact of lorry movements and dust on local residents.

Mr Penman wasn't sure but convener Alice McGarry said: "The situation currently is that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of soil is going from the site to Lochhead tip (at Wellwood), where it's being used, so I imagine they would just minimise the movement from the site to the tip to make the embankment."

The application was approved.