The Postings: £50m housing plan to demolish shopping centre in Kirkcaldy town centre

The former shopping centre in Kirkcaldy is set to be demolished to make way for a major residential development which could see hundreds of people living in the town centre.

And that could be the catalyst to attracting more investors and developers to transform the heart of the Lang Toun.

The first major step came last week when councillors gave the green light to support redevelopment after reaching a provisional agreement with owner, Tahir Ali who bought it for £320,000.

He rebranded it the Kirkcaldy Centre and set out to revive its fortunes as a shopping centre, but the impact of lockdown saw it sit empty. It was recently boarded and bricked up after being repeatedly ransacked.

Talks with the local authority have been going on for some time to sort out the council’s long-term lease of the car park above the old Tesco, and the future of the building.

Step one will see it torn down.Step two will see the empty site offered to a developer - and that, Mr Ali and councillors hope, will lead to the complete transformation of the landscape with anywhere up to 300 flats built, interlinked with green walkways designed to encourage pedestrian movement to and from the High Street and featuring landscaped public spaces.

To get to this stage, Mr Ali has had to buy up a number of properties over the last two years, including the buildings which house New Look and formerly Debenhams - both run under Hill Street and will be impacted directly by the demolition.

He said: “No-one could have predicted how radically the world would change within a year of purchasing The Postings in 2019.

“Even though we had a number of exciting deals in the pipeline with an independent supermarket chain and state of the art cinema operation in the former Tesco unit, the pandemic put an abrupt end to those plans.

“Re-thinking the centre’s future this prompted us to reconsider the site with a fresh approach.

“Covid taught me the need to remain dynamic and flexible with property projects, and that agility, coupled with support from Fife Council and local councillors, has enabled us to radically rethink the proposition.”

He is hopeful the development will spark further investment as investors take a fresh look at the town centre.

He said: “Coupled with ongoing developments along the picturesque Esplanade and Merchants Quarter in Kirkcaldy town centre, our redevelopment in the heart of Kirkcaldy should help attract other investors to progress their own plans for restaurants, more national chains, cinemas, hotels and other potential developments that will help revitalise and regenerate the town centre and attract more people back to the area as a place to live, work and play.”

The ambitious plans have been hailed as game-changing moment.

Councillor Alistair Cameron, who has worked with Mr Ali since he arrived in town three and half years ago, welcomed the development.

“On the back of this, I am sure we will get more interest in the High Street from investors, and that is what we want,” he said,.

“It tells investors that the town is alive and kicking, and a really positive place top come to.”He also paid tribute to the officers - including Ken Gourlay, Ronnie Hair and Michael O’Gorman - who have worked for months to help bring the agreement to fruition.

Cllr Cameron added: “We have a lot of development at the waterfront, and the Adam Smith Theatre, but we need something in the High Street to hang our hats on, and this gives us that opportunity.”

Mr Ali hopeful of things moving quickly - work could start early next year on tearing down the 40-year old shopping centre which once buzzed with activity.

He has been working closely with Greg Limb of Ryden on the regeneration scheme for over two years.

Ryden has been advising on the best way forward for the project and dealing with interest which has already been expressed in the re-development proposals.

Councillor Ian Cameron, who chairs Kirkcaldy area committee, welcomed the news.

He said: “The investment in the Postings makes financial sense to Fife Council but it also says a few things about the town.

“It tells local people that we are serious about our town centre strategy of improving the town aesthetic and being a more attractive place to visit, work and live.

“Even if the site becomes a public space, it will improve the area but with the right housing development the increase in footfall will go a long way to meeting the footfall deficit created when Tesco left the Postings.”

Announcing the deal to raze the shopping centre, Councillor Altany Craik, spokesperson for finance, economy and strategic planning said, “This is great news for Kirkcaldy. The shopping centre is now 40 years old and has been declining over recent years.

“Despite the Kirkcaldy Centre being bought over in 2019, a rebranding exercise and efforts to market the vacant units, the remaining occupiers have left, and the centre is now completely vacant and has been closed by the owner.

“By demolishing and clearing this site, it provides a fantastic redevelopment opportunity that could bring a much-welcomed boost to the local economy.

“It also complements the rest of the regeneration work going on in the town centre and helps reduce the number of derelict buildings in the town.

“I look forward to this prime location coming back to life.”