The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Reopening Kirkcaldy High Street to traffic ruled out by councillors.
No plans to scrap car parking charges either, says council, after revitalisation proposals put forward by Tory pair
Councillors will not look at reopening Kirkcaldy High Street to traffic or scrapping car parking charges as a way of transforming the town centre’s fortunes.
Fife Council’s Kirkcaldy area committee rejected the proposals, along with a bid to suspend the town’s £1.4 million waterfront improvement scheme, yesterday amid claims they were merely a knee-jerk reaction to the looming closure of Marks and Spencer.
Conservative councillors Richard Watt and Kathleen Leslie had also called for a report detailing whether cutting business rates would help the ailing High Street.
Their entire motion was branded “either naive or mischievous” by Labour and SNP members who said town centres across the country were changing as shopping habits evolved.
Councillors Watt and Leslie insisted their proposed measures would make High Street more attractive to shoppers who favoured the out-of-town retail park where car parking is free.
Mr Watt said: “The High Street currently operates with all of the downsides of an inside mall but none of the benefits.
“It’s like Ocean Terminal but without a roof, or a free car park, or a cinema.
“It lacks the advantage of Cupar or St Andrews where I can drop an elderly relative or injured friend exactly where they need to be, rather than half a mile away at the start of the pedestrian zone.
“There is no opportunity for passing trade.”
Labour leader and Fife Council co-leader David Ross said the future of the town centre was an important issue but added: “It’s unfortunate that the discussion is being framed by this motion which is either naive or mischievous.”
He said the closure of Marks and Spencer was part of a wider trend and added: “We aren’t going to reverse that trend and anyone who thinks it’s possible to recreate the traditional high street based on major retail stores is sadly mistaken.
“Despite the disappointment of Marks and Spencer... it’s not all doom and gloom as some would have us believe.
“There are positive developments going on – new cafes, new independent retailers, new housing projects, new cultural facilities.”
Mr Ross claimed free parking was not “a silver bullet”, stating: “The evidence from our trial reduction in charges showed there was a very limited impact.”
He pointed out the cost of running car parking in the town was already greater than the income generated from charges and said scrapping fees altogether would leave the council with a financial headache.
We aren’t going to reverse that trend and anyone who thinks it’s possible to recreate the traditional high street based on major retail stores is sadly mistaken. DAVID ROSS, FIFE COUNCIL CO-LEADER