Boost for new Kirkcaldy cinema plans

An artist's impression on how the proposed new cinema complex for Kirkcaldy could look

The site of the old swimming pool, which joins on to the Mercat shopping centre, has been mooted as the ideal location to bring a multiplex to Kirkcaldy.

It has been revealed that a planning application could be put put in sooner that thought, after developers were told that there will be no need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

Fife Council confirmed today that an EIA would not be required – a process which could potentially have held up the development.

The plans were put out for public consultation earlier this year, with a stand in the Mercat giving passers-by the chance to find out more.

The eight-screen cinema, with bars and restaurants, would be the first dedicated facility in Kirkcaldy since the closure of the old ABC cinema on the High Street in 2000 - though plans are afoot to turn that building into the Kings Theatre.

Sketches released during the consulation for the new cinema showed restaurant and bar facilities at first floor level, with a glass balcony looking out towards the water and cinema above, with retail units at ground floor level.