FIFE Council are happy to allow a firm to keep working a rock quarry near Crossgates until 2060 but won't permit the boss to build a house there.

Collier Quarrying and Recycling got the go-ahead to extend operations at Goathill, at Easter Bucklyvie, which will see them dig deep and pay £12,000 a year into a community fund.

That could amount to more than £400,000 but a separate application by Duncan Collier to build a two-storey house for a quarry manager, to help with site security and prevent equipment being stolen, has been refused.

A council report said: "It is acknowledged that the nature of the business means that expensive equipment is required to be always kept on site and that a permanent presence on site would create a sense of natural surveillance that would deter potential theft attempts.

"It is unclear if theft attempts and unannounced visitors are an ongoing risk to the business that would justify the need for this permanent presence."

It added that the quarry has been in operation for more than 10 years and in 2013, temporary accommodation was approved for an initial two-year period.

An application for a permanent dwelling was submitted in 2016, refused that same year and the decision upheld at the local review body in 2017.

The report said: "This outlines that the business has been able to operate without a permanent dwelling on site and insufficient evidence has been submitted to prove to the planning authority that the permanent dwelling is necessary for the site."

Mr Collier, who lives in Crossgates and runs the firm, had also argued that the house should be permitted as the business could no longer be viewed as temporary.

However, officers said the "precise end date" of December 2060 contradicted his view and the proposal "would therefore result in an isolated house in the countryside".

The report concluded: "The information submitted does not justify the need for a permanent dwelling on the application site."