Arresting sight as demolition of former police station begins

Glenrothes: Town building razed to the ground and land likely to be sold for housing

The future of one of Glenrothes’ most prominent development locations is uncertain as work began to demolish an iconic town building.

Visitors to the town centre yesterday witnessed an arresting sight as demolition of the former police station at Napier Road began.

Previously it was anticipated the building would be flattened to accommodate a new car park for Fife Council employees, following long-standing concerns by local residents about council staff parking on nearby streets.

However, it has since emerged that the land is to be sold by the local authority, with housing developers most likely to take on the site.

A spokesperson for Fife Council confirmed yesterday the area is already being advertised on the open market, with the car park plans having now been ditched.

While few of the town’s law abiding citizens are likely to have stepped across its front door, the Napier Road station was one of Glenrothes’ most prominent buildings due to its town centre location.

Though unlikely to be missed by the unfortunate folk who may have spent a night or two under its roof for straying across the thin blue line, the building – the first purpose-built police station in Glenrothes – will be missed by those who chronicle the history of the New Town.

Having opened for business in 1975, it closed its doors in November 2015 when Police Scotland relocated officers to its headquarters in Detroit Road, in the south of the town.

The decision to move was taken due to spiralling maintenance costs, though the site was purchased by Fife Council several months later.

However, while the building was associated with the enforcement of the law, more recently it had become a target for those looking to break it.

A series of fires were started at the site earlier this year as the empty structure became a magnet for urban explorers and fire-raisers.

Prior to the station’s opening, police operations in the town had previously been run out of bases in South Street and Rimbleton Avenue, having initially been overseen by officers from Markinch in the town’s infancy.

Demolition work is expected to take around a month to complete.

The building ... will be missed by those who chronicle the history of the New Town

Picture: Steven Brown. The land is being advertised for sale on the open market.