Kirkcaldy: call for action in 2024 to demolish ugly multi-storeys on Esplanade as concerns plans have stalled

Councillor Rod Cavanagh (SNP for Kirkcaldy East) is pushing for progress towards the demolition of two ugly and under-utilised car parks on the seafront.

Earlier this year, area committee councillors unanimously agreed to raze the multi-storey Thistle and Esplanade car parks along the Langtoun seafront - but they know demolition wouldn’t happen overnight.

Cllr Kavanagh said: “The whole question of the demolition is part and parcel of the overall regeneration programme for Kirkcaldy. Quite a lot of work was put into that decision - it went out to consultation; there were all sorts of quite elaborate drawings; and propositions were brought back. Then the entire area committee agreed [demolition was the right thing to do.] So the deal was struck, but now it's just stalled. It has gone nowhere, and that's my frustration.”

He continued: “We've talked about this for about five years and there doesn't seem to be any progress.”

It was reported that the demolition project will cost the council an estimated £2.4 million to open up the development site for housing and commercial opportunities, but councillors agreed it was the right way forward,

The issue was not up for debate at the area committee’s most recent meeting, but Cllr Cavanagh raised his concerns.

“I pray for the committee’s indulgence regarding a concern I’d like to express,” he began. “We have agreed the way forward for the regeneration of Kirkcaldy town centre and waterfront. The way forward is to be bold and ambitious and the agreed plan for the multi-story car parks embrace that ambition.”

He asked Councillor David Ross, leader of the minority Labour administration, to push for urgent action to be taken to progress the regeneration plans for Kirkcaldy’s town centre and requested a report on the matter to be brought to the next area committee meeting.

“I'm just keen to make sure that this just didn’t wither on the wine as it were,” he later said. “It's integral to the overall plan to regenerate the high street but you can't regenerate the high-street a bit - you need to do the whole thing and this is where we’re losing focus. My aim in all of this was to refocus everybody's attention and to say ‘right we need to go ahead with this’ and not leave it to the never never.”

Committee convener Ian Cameron (Labour) said it is critical that funding is in place for the car park demolition, and that conversation will initially come from Fife’s Investment Strategy Group (ISG) before eventually making its way to Fife’s Cabinet Committee for final approval.

Council Ross said it is “right” that it is going to Cabinet for the final decision as it “clearly has implications for the whole of council funding.”

Regardless of the politics behind the delays, Cllr Cavanagh said people are “bound to be getting frustrated” by the lack of progress.

“The current traffic arrangement is a bit confusing and a bit of a mess. You can accept that if it is just a temporary measure until they get the work completed, but at this rate it’s likely to be a temporary measure for several years. That's unacceptable,” he said.