No date yet to bulldoze Co-op

The demolition date of one of Glenrothes’ most iconic buildings is still unknown.

Work to pull down the former Co-op department store is understood to have been slated for this summer but rumours that a specific date had been agreed with Fife Council have been dismissed by the local authority.

Talk of demolishing the vacant building has persisted for several years but has been delayed because of the need to rid the premises of asbestos.

Last year a planning application by the Kingdom Shopping Centre’s owners to raze both the Co-op and adjacent Forum Hotel were approved, with the intention of replacing the site with a car park before an economically viable development for the site could be brought forward.

The former Co-op department store has remained empty for several years, having been the jewel in the crown of Glenrothes town centre when it opened in the 1960s.

The space has long been considered key to regenerating the main shopping precinct, and there are hopes a leisure quarter will eventually be developed at the site.

However, these desires may have been dented by the construction of a similar complex on nearby North Street, where work has already begun on a mixed retail and leisure development, which will see a Marks & Spencer Simply Food store joined by popular chain restaurant brands.