Improvement works at Glenrothes shopping centre branded a ‘complete mess’

The work, which has been joint funded by SUSTRANS Scotland, is being carried out to make a more integrated town centre.

However, one man has described it as “crass stupidity”.

In a letter to the editor, the gentleman, who asked not to be named, said: “A contractor from Kirkintilloch removed the lowered pavements and replaced them with full height kerbstones, then they added these tarmac ‘fixes’ which are still there after about a year.

“They also built a raised section of the road near the filling station which was bad enough, but then decided to cover it with monoblock bricks and then colour it in with stripes.

“Who on earth is paying for all this crass stupidity? Add to this the two oversized zebra crossings within a few yards of each other, plus the monoblock bricks from the entrance to the Kingdom Centre to the two crossings, and you now see the full farce of these decisions.

“Cars are now parking between the crossings because they can. So now they have put plastic cones between the crossings to discourage this. Have any of these ‘planners’ actually got brains? Our Kingdom Centre is now a complete mess and with all the pedestrian crossings, pretty well a pedestrian only zone. Is anyone going to step up to stop our lovely town becoming a pedestrian only zone?”

Andrew Walker, Fife Council’s Town Centre Development Unit’s economic adviser, said: “The improvements along North Street tie in and complement the new retail development on the former CISWO site, helping to link the new development with the Kingdom Centre.

“The overall aim is to make a more distinctive, and integrated town centre. Community led exercises helped us to assess how to improve the space and feeds into the emerging Plan4Glenrothes.

“The work has been joint funded by SUSTRANS Scotland who aim to make it easier for people to walk and cycle and connect people and places. The area has new crossing points, street furniture and cycle storage. Visually, the area has also improved with the removal of hoardings around the former Glenrothes House building and new green space.

“This work and the improvement to the entrance into the Kingdom Centre have been done in partnership with the owners and management of the shopping centre. Glenrothes town centre has many free car parking spaces which are well used and in easy walking distance of the centre. There’s no excuse for illegal parking.”