Fairfield Neighbourhood Centre closed its doors for the last time at the end of September 2018 after being labelled as unsafe by local authority officials.

The building had suffered irremediable structural damage and was condemned to be demolished the following year by Coatbridge-based Reigart Contracts as part of a £32,000 deal.

Proposals to build 18 flats over three storeys on the ground cleared were submitted in September.

This week, planners approved the plans under delegated powers.

Hadden Group is expected to get to work on the affordable homes in the near future, The Courier reports.

The flats, designed by Edinburgh-based ADP Architecture, aim to mirror existing structural style and will be complete with a shared courtyard, private gardens, solar panels, parking and bike storage.

In their planning documentation, developers said they hope the project will help regenerate the neighbourhood.

A statement read: “In 2012, 6 out of the 175 areas within Perth and Kinross appeared within the 15% most deprived data zones in Scotland. This included the Fairfield area.

“As identified within the local housing strategy, to help create communities where people want to live and work, we need to make sure communities are able to thrive.

“A way to achieve this is through regeneration of areas experiencing higher levels of deprivation or inequality and the environment.”

Located on the corner of Fairfield Avenue and McLeod Court, the centre had been a meeting place for pensioner groups for more than two decades and was also used as a polling place.