Kirkcaldy flats likely to go ahead

Plans to plug an unsightly gap in Kirkcaldy Hi g h Street with council flats are expected to be approved this week.

A Dundee -ba sed developer has brought forward a proposal to build 39 affordable flats, with commercial units on the ground floor, at the site opposite Oswalds Wynd.

A previous bid to develop the site collapsed in 2008 as a result of the recession and it has lain derelict for 14 years.

Fife Council planners have said the need to breath life back into the overgrown brownfield site outweighs the fact the proposal does not fully comply with the authority’s policies.

However, the plans have been opposed by Kirkcaldy West Community Council, which says they will have a detrimental impact on nearby properties.

Community council vice-chairman David Henderson said: “The main issue at stake here is with daylight and sunlight as the new-build flats will block out much light from the Be veridge flats in Oswalds Wynd.

“The subsidiary story is the absence of some relevant documents and correspondence in the planning portal, that have not been placed in the public domain, including a detailed submission of our objections.”

Behind the proposal is the Newport Property Development Company, based in Broughty Ferry.

The plans have been recommended for approval and will be discussed by councillors on Central and West Planning Committee tomorrow.

They include a proposal to demolish a neighbouring property which previously accommodated a furniture store.

Council homes planned for the scheme would be aimed at older people, with a lack of available play space making them unsuitable for those with children. In addition, the case officer said applicants with school-aged children would be ruled out to preven t add i t iona l pressures on local schools.

It has been suggested the ground floor space could be used for agencies including the council ’s housing service and the region’s occupational therapy service. It is proposed to set up a “one-stop shop” for those in need of adaptations to support independent living.

“The majority of the application site is currently vacant land with wooden hoardings securing the site boundary,” the planning report said. “These are considered to harm the historic core and detract from it due to the sense of vacancy and dereliction the hoardings convey.

“Redevelopment of the application site in its prominent High Street position would ameliorate this situation to a significant degree, offering a significant enhancement to the site and the public realm around this part of the High Street, given it has been vacant for around 14 years.”