Leisure complex plan gets a boost

£10 million complex could create more than 250 jobs

Ambitious plans for a brand new £10 millionplus cinema and leisure development on Kirkcaldy waterfront have been given a major helping hand.

Fife Council officials have paved the way for a formal planning application to be submitted sooner rather than later after ruling a separate environmental impact assessment – which could have delayed the project – will not be required.

LaSalle Investment Management, who are behind the blueprint for the old Kirkcaldy Swimming Pool site, believe the proposed complex will act as a focal point in the town centre and provide an economic boost.

Multi-million-pound plans for a brand new cinema and leisure development on the Fife coast have been given a major boost, The Courier has learned.

Council officials have decided an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a £10 million-plus complex on the site of the former Kirkcaldy swimming pool will not be required, paving the way for a formal planning application to be submitted.

Merof LaSalle Investment Management had asked the local authority for a screening opinion into its proposals and Fife Council has swiftly confirmed an EIA – which could have delayed the plans – will not be needed.

Those behind the project say the cinema would act as a focus in the town centre and create more than 250 jobs – more than 150 construction jobs and a further 25 to 30 direct employment opportunities in the cinema, plus 75 jobs in restaurant and leisure units.

A statement from planning and development consultants Muir Smith Evans LLP stressed any planning application would be supported by technical and environmental reports, negating the need for a separate EIA.

“On the basis of the proposed use, the scale of development and the sensitivity of the site and adjacent receptors, significant individual or cumulative environmental impacts are not expected,” it added.

The statement noted the proposal was also consistent with planning policies which recognise the former swimming pool site as a redevelopment opportunity with preferred uses including leisure and food and drink.

The building closed in 2013 but, while efforts to regenerate the waterfront area, such as the completion of the £9m seawall, have moved forward, the swimming pool has remained an eyesore.

Warning signs at the former entrance also point to the presence of asbestos.

According to supporting documentation, the cinema will accommodate seven or eight screens of varying sizes, while the restaurants are “likely to appeal to national multiples and chains” such as Nandos, Wagamama, Bella Italia, Pizza Express and Byron Burgers.

Commercial space and display areas at ground level could also accommodate a gym, retail units or more restaurants.

“Council officials have decided an environmental impact assessment will not be required

Picture: Tina Norris. Plans to redevelop the former swimming pool site are forging ahead.