The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Historic Leslie House to be converted into 28 apartments as plans given green light by council
Ahistoric mansion known for decades as the seat of the Rothes family in Fife is to be turned into 28 new apartments after councillors gave restoration plans the green light.
Those behind the application for Leslie House say the development will see one of Scotland’s most “at risk” buildings brought back to its former glory, more than a decade after a fierce fire looked to have put paid to hopes it had a viable future.
The 17th Century A-listed manor has been left to the mercy of the elements and has been targeted by vandals since the blaze in 2009 gutted the inside.
However, Byzantian Developments say their restoration plans will retain much of the building’s original features, while keeping the layout of the surrounding gardens and pathways largely the same.
A further eight new-build homes built between two locations, the gatehouse and a low-level east garden, will sit on a former extension to the original home, demolished after a 1763 fire.
Members of the central and west planning committee have approved the plans, despite concerns from locals about the development.
Leslie Community Council had lodged an objection amid fears that the historic house could be “buried” within a housing estate, pointing out that the new development was in addition to 28 houses already approved a few years ago by Fife Council for construction by Muir Homes.
Meanwhile, ambitious plans to bring an unsightly gap site in Kirkcaldy High Street back into good use were also given the green light.
Thirty- nine affordable two-bedroom flats and two commercial units at ground floor level are to be built on the corner of the High Street and Oswalds Wynd towards the north-east end of the town centre.
The site encompasses 251-255 High Street, which is currently a furniture store, and 257-261 High Street, which has been cleared of the previous buildings and has become overgrown over the past 14 years of inactivity.
The vacant former Co-op site has been the subject of debate for many years, and a previous bid to develop the area collapsed in 2008 due to the recession.
However, Dundee-based Newport Property Development has taken on the project, which will see the existing furniture store demolished and a four-storey L-shape block created on the High Street, stepping up to five storeys on the corner and along Oswalds Wynd.