Byzantian Developments wants to deliver 42 new apartments at the site, which was formerly home to a Fife Council local office but has lain empty for many years with the existing buildings now in a state of disrepair.

The proposals have been designed by Fraser/Livingstone Architects with McGregor McMahon Consulting Engineers for the steeply sloping, south-facing site that lies in the heart of the town’s historic Conservation Area.

The architects said: “A series of interconnected blocks will extend south from the topographical ridge line, reinforcing the original herring-bone pattern of the Medieval settlement and creating a series of tiered courtyards forming undercroft parking and landscaped courts. Clad in a mix of bronze-coloured metal cladding and pigmented concrete panels, the apartments will exploit extraordinary panoramic views south across Dunfermline, out to the Forth Bridges and beyond.

“The application therefore brings forward proposals for the comprehensive redevelopment of the derelict existing site to form new town centre homes in the heart of the Auld Grey Toun, bringing people, activity and life back to the heart of the community.”