A PLAN has been pitched which would see a new home created for Rosyth FC and allow a long-awaited Lidl supermarket to be built in the town.

A potential new home for the football club has now been identified at the Pitreavie Sports and Soccer Centre and Rosyth FC's chairman, Russell Craig, admitted this week that there was now "light at the end of the tunnel" after a four-year search.

The club moved out of their previous ground, Recreation Park, in April 2018 after Fife Council agreed to sell the land for a Lidl supermarket.

As part of the deal, developers Mactaggart & Mickel were to provide a replacement pitch and facilities, which was to be at the Fleet Grounds.

However, neither supermarket nor pitch have yet been delivered with the council deciding later to build a replacement Inverkeithing High School at the Fleet Grounds.

It had been hoped they would be involved with Dunfermline Athletic's plans for the Ex-Serviceman's Club in the town, however, the club was left "disappointed" when left out of the final plans to create a football academy at the site.

A planning application for a new pitch at Pitreavie was submitted last month while Mactaggart & Mickel have this week asked Fife Council for permission to change a condition of their existing consent for the Rosyth site which would allow both plans to progress.

A Mactaggart & Mickel Group spokesperson told the Press: “Delivering a new supermarket at Admiralty Road whilst providing new, improved facilities for the local football club has always been an objective for us.

“We have worked closely with Fife Council to explore options for this to happen in different locations. Following recent discussions, we have agreed to commit to providing new sporting facilities for Rosyth FC at a new location.

“Mactaggart & Mickel is supporting plans to install a new floodlit sports pitch, changing facilities and a boundary fence at the site of the sports fields at Pitreavie.

“We have applied to amend the condition in our application to develop the site in Admiralty Road to facilitate the delivery of this exciting project at Pitreavie and allow the construction of the new Lidl store to commence.

“We are confident Fife Council can determine the applications quickly to enable this work to progress without further delay.”

Rosyth FC vice-chairman Russell Craig, who along with Dean Ogg, stepped down from his role as the club's co-manager to concentrate on the project, said they were "excited" to see plans progressing at last.

"I have been heavily invested for a number of years now and there is light at the end of the tunnel," he said. "The biggest issue was identifying a site.

"One of our slight concerns is moving the football club outwith Rosyth but it is a stone's throw away. There were just no feasible alternatives in Rosyth.

"It is so close to Rosyth and we are not going to lose our identity. It is going to be one of the best facilities for the East of Scotland League.

"We have had nothing but strong support from the East of Scotland League so we are going to be upgrading and looking for it not only to be East of Scotland- but SFA-compliant as well. It is really exciting for us."

The new plans would see the creation of a new pitch and floodlights while existing facilities will also be upgraded.

"When it comes off, it is going to be good," added Russell. "There will be car-parking facilities, changing room facilities, managers' changing rooms. Ultimately, what we lost back at the Rec Park we are getting but getting it new and improved.

"We have had massive stumbling blocks over the past few years but we have just kept moving on. Hopefully, work could start in November then, hopefully, depending on the Scottish weather, we could be in the facility for the turn of the year."