THE law of the land could help to create a top class sports and leisure facility at the sites of St Columba's and Woodmill.

The then local councillor for Abbeyview, Fay Sinclair, raised the possibility in 2019 of a community asset transfer to a group of local clubs.

She said: "There are opportunities with the site at Woodmill, with the pitches you have the potential for a standalone sports hub to be established there."

It wasn't an idea plucked out of thin air either as a Woodmill and St Columba's Community Sport Hub was formed in 2016 – made up of Dunfermline Reign Basketball Club, Dunfermline Carnegie Hockey Club, Carnegie Judo Club, Dunfermline Boxing Club and Abbeyview Bowling Club – and previously told the Press of their plans.

They offered their expertise to help design sporting facilities at the new Dunfermline Learning Campus, which will not have a swimming pool but will have a new hockey pitch.

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However the clubs want to enhance the sporting provision in the city, rather than see it merely replaced elsewhere, and maintain a significant community asset in Abbeyview.

There’s already an astroturf pitch at Woodmill – the only one suitable for hockey in West Fife – as well as plenty of grass pitches, it’s a well-used community-use school with a pool and indoor sports hall while Dunfermline Reign brought in £400,000 of external money to establish a basketball base at St Columba’s.

The hub model allows a range of different clubs to come together to share one facility, cutting costs and allowing them to spend more time and resources on developing sport and offering more sporting opportunities to the whole community.

Cllr Sinclair had added: "I like the idea of a sports hub on that site, we'll have to look at what's needed and the demand, but with the community empowerment act you could have a community asset transfer where it's run by the community themselves."