New homes set to help regenerate arcade

A building at the end of Kirkcaldy High Street which has been empty for countless years is to be redeveloped.
By Scott McCartney
Published 27th Jul 2020, 10:09 BST
The revamp continues at the west end of the High Street.The revamp continues at the west end of the High Street.
The revamp continues at the west end of the High Street.

The run-down building above the Olympia Arcade is to be converted into 13 new flats, bringing it into use for the first time in living memory.

Edinburgh-based Cockburn Consultants is already working on the building with a view to finishing the flats, next to Linktown Church, by the end of the year.

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It is thought that the building has been unused for at least the last 16 years.

The building overlooks the Olympia Arcade.The building overlooks the Olympia Arcade.
The building overlooks the Olympia Arcade.

Cockburn’s Managing Director Brent Quinn said that the development would bring life back to the area.

He said: “It’s a site which has been vacant for a long long time, much to the detriment of that whole area.

“I think the redevelopment of the building will bring life to the area and much-needed regeneration.

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“We’ll be converting it into 13 one and two-bed flats, they’ll be spacious and the views on the top floors in particular are fantastic - looking over the water and nice outlook onto the church yard.

“The building will be covered in a lime render, which is a very traditional Fife finish - it was one of the centres for lime works in the UK, so it’s something that’s very authentic and sympathetic to the listed nature of the building.”

The move comes as a wider trend aims to bring more life to town centres by converting empty retail areas to residential.

With many large chain shops closing down, there has been a drive by both the UK and Scottish Governments to convert empty units in to housing, in a bid to increase footfall.

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The new flats are set to be finished in December, with the recent lockdown causing a slight delay to original plans.

Brent added: “I think it’s the right use for this building.

“We’ve been on site since last October, and it was always going to be an 11-12-month build, but then obviously we’ve had three-and-a-half months off with lockdown.

“We’re also hoping that others buy into the regeneration and the betterment of the arcade itself.

“We can contribute in that regard.

“I’ve really taken that whole area to heart very much and I want it to succeed.

“I think it would take not too much cash, but a lot of care, effort, and passion to really make a difference.”

Related topics:EdinburghFife