Council consider £2m shopping centre buy out

Consideration is being given by the Fife authority to taking control of the dilapidated centre, which has been in liquidation since 2012, confirmed the town’s leading councillor, Bill Brown, chairman of Glenrothes Area Committee.

Speaking at Glenrothes Area Residents’ Association board meeting, Cllr Brown said the cost of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the centre and the residential flats would be “in the region of £2 million” and would need council and Scottish Government or other outside funding to cover purchasing and demolition costs.

“There is funding available through the council’s town centres money, but applying for that would take time,” said Cllr Brown.

The news has sparked hopes that a regeneration could finally now be found after years of decay and neglect.

“We keep saying we need to do something about the centre and we’ve been pushing hard but we’ve been told a compulsory purchase could take two or three years because two thirds of the flats are privately owned,” Cllr Brown added.

“There is a process you go through, it took time but it worked for the maisonettes in Tanshall and could work with Glenwood too.”

A three month charrette, funded by the Scottish Government and money from the Tullis Russell task force, designed to gather the views of the surrounding communities of Tanshall, Macedonia and Caskieberran, is now underway and councillors of all political persuasion have urged the public to have its say on shaping the future of where they live.

The Charrette is a great opportunity for the community to develop a masterplan to redesign the Glenwood area,” said Glenrothes councillor Altany Craik.

“It is an opportunity that we need to get right and design a Glenwood we all want and the area deserves.

“The difference over the last few years with Tesco and Iceland has been huge but now we need to tackle the old centre.”

The council will wait to see the outcome of the charrette before formally exploring the possibility of a CPO, but Cllr Brown said it was certainly a viable option.

“I’m excited and optimistic, people want to see the centre improved and we finally have a chance,” he said.