Housing boom this year

THE first phase of a major Kirkcaldy housing boom is expected to take place this year, the town’s leading councillor has said.

Neil Crooks, chairman of the Kirkcaldy area committee, said he expects construction work on 1,100 proposed homes at Kingslaw, in the north of the town, to begin in 2018.

The largest expansion of the Lang Toun for a generation, the development at the former opencast site will also address l ongstanding concerns about the l ocal road network, particularly approaching the A92 at Redhouse.

Mr Crooks said the development could be the first of many housing projects in the town, with housebuilders keen on investing in other prominent plots.

He added: “We should see t he first of 1,100 houses being built at Kingslaw this year which will address traffic pinch points between Gallatown roundabout and Redhouse roundabout.

“The massive former Nairn i ndustrial site at Victoria Road is also attracting developer interest, while new council housing at Overton Road and Beatty Crescent i s replacing derelict land.”

Data provided by car industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed that sales of pure electric cars almost doubled in the city in 2017 compared with the year before.

In comparison, total electric vehicle sales in Scotland rose by just a third.

Diesel and petrol sales were down, but other “alternative fuel vehicles” such as hybrids were also up.

Councillor Lynne Short, city development convener and a prominent supporter of electric car usage, said the figures vindicated early investment by Dundee City Council in car charging infrastructure.

She said: “What this data says to me is that the fear factor other places have with regards to range isn’t an issue here in Dundee. People here know we have that infrastructure.

“We’re working with other councils in the area so people in, for example, Angus know they can drive their car in and around the area and have access to free parking in the city centre.

“It brings home the fact that we’re in a formidable position.”

Delegates from the Welsh Government are set to visit Dundee next week on a fact-finding trip to learn more about the city’s approach to electric cars.

Ms Short added: “People are looking to us to see how to do things and it’s really reassuring that our confidence is filtering through to people when they are buying vehicles.”

A total of 31 pure electric cars were sold in Dundee last year, up from 16 the previous year.

Meanwhile, sales of petrol-electric hybrids — cars with petrol engines

DUNDEE is leading the charge in electric vehicle sales compared to other areas of Scotland, new figures have revealed.