It is going to take time but Kirkcaldy High Street will recover – council

FIFE Council has said it is committed to investing in Kirkcaldy’s struggling town centre.

The town’s economy was already in decline before the pandemic hit, with nearly a third of available shopfloor space lying vacant – 31% in comparison with the Fife average of 21%.

Kirkcaldy has the second-highest rate of vacant floor space in Fife after Kincardine but a strategy is being developed to revitalise what was once a bustling High Street.

Labour councillor Neil Crooks, who is convener of Kirkcaldy Area Committee, said that with investment the town would recover but improvements would not happen overnight.

“There’s no getting away from the fact the past year has brought us many challenges, and although the full impact of the pandemic is still to emerge, it’s important we keep working towards our goals for Kirkcaldy,” he said. “Yes, it’s going to take time to recover, but that doesn’t mean we won’t.

“If it wasn’t for our local communities getting involved in the various consultations and workshops, either directly with ourselves or through community organisations and community conversations that have taken place, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Kirkcaldy Area Committee was updated this week on projects to improve the economy.

The £1.6 million council-funded Waterfront Regeneration Project is due to be completed this year, having been delayed a year because of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Postings steps have been repaired and street art, and lighting, installed.

As the country was placed into lockdown in March last year, a community interest company called Love Oor Lang Toun was established to promote the town centre and support businesses as they adapted to Covid restrictions.

A gap site where the town’s Co-op stood is going to be redeveloped for housing, and apartments are being built at the Olympia Arcade.

Councillors were also updated on unemployment figures. The area suffers from high unemployment, with the town’s employment rate lower than both the Scottish and Fife averages.

Latest figures indicate that the proportion of men in employment in Kirkcaldy is nearly 8% below the Scottish rate.

There are an estimated 3,200 people claiming out-of-work benefits in Kirkcaldy – more than anywhere else in Fife.