PLANS to build seven homes on farmland near Dalgety Bay have been refused by Fife Council.

Craig Mitchell had sought permission to develop land at Meikle Couston Steading, north-east of the town and between the A921 and the railway track of the east coast mainline.

The proposals included seven houses with garages, access, parking and landscaping works but council officers said it would be "incongruous and inappropriate" in a rural countryside setting.

The site is not allocated for housing in FIFEplan, the local authority's development plan which states what can be built and where, and they had concerns about noise, road safety, biodiversity and visual impact.

The transportation team said the proposal was "unacceptable" as there was no safe crossing point for pedestrians to use with the 60mph limit of the A921 and no safe or sustainable way of walking, wheeling or cycling to local schools, shops or places of employment.

They added the nearest bus stop was more than 300 metres away and residents would be therefore "reliant" on the car.

Development has been on the cards for a while and a plan to convert the "dilapidated" farm steading buildings in the middle of the site, and erect nine houses, was approved by the council in 2004.

That didn't proceed and neither did the proposal to convert and extend the steading into a 38-bed care home, which was agreed in 2010.

An application for seven homes, very similar to the current plans, was withdrawn in 2021 after discussions with council officers and to enable more detailed proposals to be submitted.

However, the fresh proposals were met by four letters of objection – concerns included road safety, drainage, flooding, asbestos and access – and a recommendation from the local authority that they should be refused.

A report said that occupants would face a "significant detrimental impact" in terms of noise and that the development would not "conserve, restore and enhance the biodiversity of the site".

There was one letter of support.