Council Election 2017

Kirkcaldy Central

The economic downturn twinned with a boon in internet shopping has hit Kirkcaldy town centre hard.

The demise of BHS, the closure of Tesco and the loss of two major banks has left the High Street a shadow of its former self.

As the retail park in the north of the town continues to expand, the challenge is to find a draw to make people want to return to the town centre.

A lot has been done already – a reduction in car parking charges, an upgrade of the Fife Council car park on the Esplanade and multi-millionpound renovations at either end of the High Street to name but three.

Small, independent businesses have been opening up as replacements for the large closed stores – although boarded-up shop fronts are still an all too common sight.

Painstaking negotiations have been taking place for years in a bid to attract a cinema into the town and detailed plans for the old swimming pool building have finally been lodged with the local authority.

Efforts are also under way to open a large entertainment venue to be known as the King’s Theatre in the former cinema in the east end of the High Street.

Could these, along with ambitious proposals to transform the Esplanade – complete with palm trees – be enough to act as a magnet for visitors?

It would be up to the area’s councillors for the next five years to ensure that the vision becomes a reality and Kirkcaldy continues to prosper.

Picture: Steven Brown. Fife Central Retail Park.