ANALYSIS

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

But it would have taken a very biased observer to wax lyrical over the aesthetic attributes of Lochgelly.

Like many Scottish towns and villages, Lochgelly thrived during the boom years of the mining industry.

The demise of coal left not only scars on the landscape, but in the souls of communities.

Jobs were scarce, businesses closed and hope sometime seemed lost amid the bleak, boarded-up shops and derelict premises littering the town.

Infamously, Lochgelly was then nominated for the Plook on the Plinth Award in the 2010 Carbuncle Awards – meaning it was in the running to be named Scotland’s most dismal town.

But like a phoenix rising from the ashes left behind by the redundant pits, Lochgelly is looking towards a brighter future. Renowned designer Andres Duany arrived from the US in 2010 to lead a groundbreaking charrette, laying the paving stones for its regeneration and forming the cornerstone of a masterplan which stretches to 2066.

At its heart, which stopped beating when the coal industry did, would be a vibrant and viable town centre.

Awards and finance, to help transform disadvantaged areas, have trickled in and improvements are tangible – a new business centre, revamped Lochgelly Centre, transformed Town House.

Few would argue there is still a long way to go, but now the mountain to climb seems a bit smaller than the pit bings that used to circle Lochgelly.