Fife College has secured the option to purchase land to build a new £90 million campus on the Shepherd Offshore site in Dunfermline.

The site on Dunlin Drive was one of seven options across Dunfermline which were considered for the planned new build.

Fife College said the Shepherd Offshore site offers the best opportunity to maximise capacity on all levels; including reducing additional costs for redevelopment and providing opportunities for expansion in the future.

The new agreement will mean that the College has first say in purchasing the land and allows it to begin site investigations and surveys to ensure that the land is suitable for a new campus build.

Principal Hugh Logan said: “Our students’ needs are paramount when making decisions about our new campus. The new state-of-the-art College will be built around the requirements of our students, from location and accessibility to the layout, design and resources required.

“Since merger, two years ago, we have been carrying out an in-depth review of our estates to create facilities which are vibrant, sustainable and fit-for-purpose. Our ambition is to embrace cutting edge learning and teaching and to do this our buildings need to reflect that. We also require the College to be built on a site that has the capacity, space and flexibility to adapt to future requirements and possible expansion in conjunction with future partners.

“Transport links will also be an important factor and we will work with Fife Council and partners to ensure the new campus benefits from excellent transport links.

“A project of this size takes a great deal of planning and negotiation to ensure that the best site, which suits all our needs, is secured. Part of our research into suitable sites included carrying out an Options Site Appraisal which determined that no other sites in and around Dunfermline were capable of meeting the College’s requirements so well.

“We are delighted that our plans are moving in the right direction with this new step forward.”

An outline business case has been approved by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), however, a full business case for the use of the site for the College build is due to be considered later this year.

The total cost of the new campus is expected to be around £90m, with £70m funded via the Scottish Government’s NPD Programme and the rest from SFC and College resources.

As part of the process the College will apply for planning permission from Fife Council for the site and carry out a twelve week public consultation before any further agreement can be made regarding purchasing the land.

Hugh Logan added: “Our continued staff engagement, improvement of estates and work with partners, businesses and the community across the Kingdom will be our priority as we move forward to continue to create a great College for Fife.”