Care village plan revealed for empty land on Kirkcaldy waterfront

Through his Broughty Ferry-based company, Grant Road Properties Ltd, Ross Morrison has tabled plans for 58 flats, six sheltered bungalow homes and a cafe on the site of the former bus depot at the southern edge of the Esplanade.

The blocks of flats and cafe will be positioned to look out over the water, while the bungalows will sit to the south of the supermarket.

A five-storey block of 22 flats will cater to the over-55s, while another three/four-storey block will host 36 "extra care" flats, which operate in a similar manner to sheltered housing with additional personal services.

Fife Council is the proposed landlord for the extra care block.

Agents acting for Morrison's firm have asked the council's planning department to consider approving the development.

They say it would remove a "scar" from the Kirkcaldy waterfront and "re-energise" the Rope Walk area of the coastal path.

"The site location...makes the site ideal for redevelopment to make the site usable again and extend the public realm of the Seafield beach coastal fringe," planning consultants Norr said in a statement.

The plans are a further revision of those originally proposed by Grant Road Properties.

It had once proposed up to 300 flats in the same site - and the first phase of this site, a planned complex of flats, shopping facilities and hot food vendors, was refused last August amid concerns that the buildings were badly designed and a potential flood risk.

Those concerns would appear to have been addressed in Mr Morrison's new application, which features explicit references to buildings being "future proof" against rising tides and the complex being of a more sympathetic stepped design.

The over-55s complex will also feature balcony spaces in each apartment, and residents there will be able to a shared roof garden should the plans be approved.

Fife Council has confirmed receipt of the application, which is expected to be reviewed by the local planning committee because of its scale and impact on the local landscape.

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