Members of Fife Council’s west planning committee have approved plans for 134 properties on land to the north of Dalbeath Gardens, The Courier reports.

The undulating site is currently in agricultural use but was utilised in the late 1800s as Hill of Beath Colliery, which operated until the 1920s with the bulk of remedial work carried out in the 1960s.

The blueprint given the green light will see 134 homes built on the 5.26 hectare site with an area of open space and a play area to be positioned centrally.

Access will be taken from Torbeith Gardens, with a secondary access from Torbeith Road only to be used for emergency purposes, while a core path and right of way running through the current site will be diverted and incorporated into the development.

The council’s education service had expressed informal reservations about capacity constraints at Hill of Beath Primary, but the applicant – Cambuslang-based Jim Kennedy – has agreed to provide a contribution of £435,045 towards the building of an extra classroom at the school.