Councillors agreed to sell the old Abertay Works on Shanwell Road to Tayport Community Trust at a reduced price, paving the way for the 1.2 hectare site to house facilities including a café, soft play area, a new sports hub, space for arts and crafts, a camping and tourism site and a business venue.

The council bought the site and building formerly occupied by heavy engineering manufacturing company TF Fabrication in 2001 and despite various proposals being considered, no viable scheme for redevelopment has been taken forward.

Now proposals by Tayport Community Trust to create a community hub has prompted the council’s decision to sell the land at a discount to market value.

Chair of the council’s executive committee, Cllr David Ross, said: “The Trust have some very exciting and viable proposals for this site which will help improve the quality of life for people in Tayport and bring some very welcome facilities to the town.

“It’s fantastic to see the community coming together through the Trust to take ownership of this area of land and put it to positive use and we will continue to do what we can to support them in their aims.”