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A £3.2 million business park aimed at attracting scores of jobs to Fife is finally under construction.

Work began on the Low Carbon Investment Park on the outskirts of Buckhaven last week, with machinery moving on to the site to prepare the ground.

The park is part of a wider development for the area, which includes construction of a new primary school and around 1,500 new homes.

The aim is to provide more space to allow Fife Energy Park at Methil to expand.

Around 15 hectares of land will be provided to businesses which do not need direct access to the quayside but would benefit from being located less than a mile from the Energy Park.

It will be occupied primarily by businesses within the renewables supply chain.

The Fife Council project, which attracted £861,000 of European funding to help get it off the ground, has been held up for several years due to a wrangle over land ownership.

The local authority secured a compulsory purchase order to acquire part of the site from previous owner Jeanette Penman, who had wanted to build a care home and houses.

Before she bought it, the land had been home to Diosynth.

She said her proposal was in response to local demand for affordable housing but a planning application and subsequent appeal were turned down.

A revised application by Mrs Penman to create business units similar to those proposed by the council was also rejected and she was eventually forced to sell the land to the authority.

Another section of land was owned by Wemyss Estate and a legal agreement was secured to allow the council to buy it.

Ross McKenzie from Fife Council’s economic development team said there had been a lot of progress on the plans since last year.

“We have finally concluded the land acquisition from Wemyss Estate and as of last week, heavy machinery moved on to the site,” he said.

“They are starting by doing grouting, ie putting concrete into the ground to stabilise the land. A lot of it has been undermined by old mining works but the work ongoing now will ensure it is safe.”

The renewables sector has been growing in Levenmouth as local people learn the skills to work in the industry. Fife College has also started running courses in engineering and renewables to degree level.