The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Queensferry Crossing to be gateway for Fife
Fife Interchange can be at forefront of regeneration of whole region
The £1.35 billion Queensferry Crossing can be not just a gateway to Fife but to a bright future for its economy, according to the man leading efforts to attract new businesses to the region.
Iain Shirlaw,the local authority’s economic adviser for investment, said an area in prime position to benefit from the greatly improved transport link is the re-branded Fife Interchange at Dunfermline.
It is the joint estate ripe for industrial development on both sides of the Amazon fulfilment centre off the A90.
At one million square feet – the size of 14 football pitches – the warehouse is the largest of Amazon’s eight UK fulfilment centres and a major employer as the workplace for more than 2,000 people plus hundreds more seasonal workers.
Fife Council believes the benefits enjoyed by the retailer at Dunfermline in terms of location, transport connections and workforce availability can be enjoyed by other firms.
These benefits will be enhanced when the Queensferry Crossing opens in May to make access even better.
To progress its plans, it is marketing the five-hectare site to the north of Amazon as Calais Muir North and the 17 hectare site to the south as Calais Muir South, both for new businesses.
The former is being earmarked for smaller industrial units ranging from 5,000 to 22,000 square feet.
Calais Muir South will have larger units from 20,000 to 60,000 square feet for firms looking for more space.
Mr Shirlaw said: “We are very excited about the potential for Fife Interchange as a thriving industrial centre once the Queensferry Crossing opens next year.
“It is right on one of Scotland’s major trunk routes and with the new bridge access will be even better.”
He continued: “So much of Fife as well as central Scotland will be within easy reach.
“The population of Dunfermline has grown at a considerable rate in the last few years as more people have seen the advantages of living in this part of the country.
“The business growth rate in the Dunfermline area has not been as high as the population growth rate.
“The new industrial property opportunities offered by Fife Interchange can address this issue.
“They offer attractive smaller sites for smaller firms to move into and larger ones for bigger firms to locate or expand into.
“The Queensferry Crossing will be the gateway to a bright new economic future for Fife, and Fife Interchange can be at the forefront of the regeneration.”