As well as an informative tour around the construction site to meet the Whiteburn team building the new homes, there was also an opportunity to see new homes that are almost complete.

To round off the visit, the Whiteburn team also opened the doors to its four bedroom Oliphant show home to showcase to the minister the stylish, sustainable living that is on offer at its impressive development in Kirkcaldy.

Eve McCurrich, managing director for Whiteburn Projects, said: “We are delighted that the minister has taken the opportunity to visit our Viewforth development in Kirkcaldy, and for us to have the opportunity to discuss directly with him the challenges and opportunities of being an SME developer.

“We talked in detail about the challenges of brownfield regeneration and NPF 4, as well as the general challenges of the planning system and working with Local Authorities to secure planning and technical consents for our sites.

“We welcomed the opportunity to discuss these aspects of our business directly with the minister and raise the question of what funding mechanisms the government can initiate to support of delivery of more housing of all tenures across Scotland.”

Mr McLennan added: “I was delighted to see the Viewforth development today.

“It is good to see quality new houses, including affordable homes, being provided for people here in Kirkcaldy, which reflects the ambitions of the Scottish Government.

“I am grateful to Whiteburn for hosting and for a good discussion on the shared challenges we face in delivering more homes in a challenging economy.”

Viewforth offers 72 new two, three and four bedroom homes for sale and 15 affordable homes are currently under construction for Kingdom Housing Association.