Fresh plans lodged for new Fife school campus and nearly 190 new homes

Fresh plans have been lodged for a new school campus and nearly 190 new homes in a Fife town.

Hillside School and Cala Homes have revised their proposals for the development in Aberdour.

Previous plans for the site proved controversial and attracted hundreds of objections.

If approved, it would allow Hillside School to move out of its current home at B-listed Hillside House.

The plans include a mix of three, four and five-bedroom homes, including 46 affordable homes.

Anne Harvey, director of the school, said: “The new proposals will not only provide a fit for purpose, modern and sustainable educational facility but protect and maintain the existing employment levels at the school presently numbering 85 in total.

“The needs of our pupil population have changed considerably.

“They have more complex social and educational needs and this is reflected in a reduction in pupil numbers from around 60 to a maximum of 35.

“As a result, teaching methods and the requirements of the digital age demand a different teaching environment.”

Planning permission in principle was approved in 2021 for a 125-home development and school building.

The proposals were approved by the Scottish Government on appeal after Fife Council had rejected them following 350 objections from locals.

Cala Homes reduces housing footprint by 15% in new Hillside School plans

The new plans involve more cottage flats and terraced houses, removing some of the planned larger detached homes.

Stephen Faller, land manager with Cala Homes (east), said: “We understand the sensitive nature of the development and recognise there is a responsibility on us as a collective to bring forward the best possible plans.

“The teams have worked hard to understand the concerns around the previous proposals and have amended our designs to reduce the overall residential development footprint by around 15%.

“The previous consent provided mainly five-bed homes, whereas the proposed mix of housing reflects a much higher proportion of two, three and four-bed properties.”

Updates on the plans can be found via a dedicated website.

In January, Hillside School was told to make urgent changes to its use of restraint on children by the Care Inspectorate.

It later emerged children and staff had been injured by the use of “high-risk restraint techniques” at the school.