VIDEO - The shocking decay of former college campus in Fife

It sits hidden from view, and in a very sorry state.

The former Priory Campus of Fife College sits derelict and vandalised, and has become a dumping place for fly-tippers.

Now the company which bought it has pledged action, and confirmed plans for a new residential development are in the pipeline.

And it is set to board up the building which has become a hiding point for youths.

The campus in Kirkcaldy roams across some 7.5 acres – all of it away from the public eye.

Access from Victoria Road has been blocked to traffic, but the road is easily navigated on foot.

Down at the harbour, where the former Nairn building also stands empty, a short walk uphill reveals the current dilapidated state.

In pictures: Extensive vandalism at former college campus in Fife

The first thing you notice is how overgrown it is.

Old signs warning of fines for anyone parked illegally have long been smothered by branches and leaves.

The Priory and the Round House are two starkly different buildings – the former is a B-listed building on the ‘at risk’ register held by Historic Scotland, the latter a grim 1970s construction – but both are surrounded by debris from fly-tippers, and battered by vandalism and neglect.

The rubbish piled up at the side of the building has everything from carpets to a discarded armchair, a golf bag, shoes, builders’ rubble, and, an upturned bath tub.

It is piled adjacent to the building which once housed the college’s offices.

Developer's pledge to tackle dilapidated former college campus

There have been reports of lorries jettisoning entire skip loads of rubbish there before the access road at the harbour was chained up – a formidable barrier prevents entry from Victoria Road – but the debris is piled thick and deep.

A smashed window gives a look inside where there is clear damage and some graffiti, but when you look up you can see a glimpse of the building’s beauty still intact.

The ornate cornices on the ceiling are in stark contrast to the decline that is evident all around it.

The plaque celebrating a 1996 partnership between Fife and Abertay Colleges still adorns the entrance.

While it shines, the rest of the surroundings reek of decay.

A hose runs towards the Round House, which was once student accommodation, and a sleeping blanket hangs from the first floor window, suggesting it is again being used as a shelter.

The giant boards put up to make the building secure have been repeatedly torn down, while fences have been hauled to one side, and the main door is wide open.

Who owns dilapidated former Fife college campus?

It’s also smashed to pieces – glass and debris lie everywhere.

Fittings hang from the ceiling, windows are shattered, and the boards lie everywhere. It is an appalling mess.

Round the side of the building are more boards torn down and left lying amid the tall grass.

The ground floor rooms are completely exposed –one step and you could be in a room which appears to be have been bombed.

Wires and fittings dangle from wrecked ceiling tiles, there are holes in the wall, debris everywhere, and graffiti daubed on the walls.

The trees and shrubs have long since engulfed the path which leads you to the back door which is wide open.

Behind it sits what was the nursery. It is almost smothered in greenery, but part of the old Adam Smith signage is still just visible, above the door which is wide open.

Police and council officers have visited it regularly in response to reports of youths using it as a haunt.

Last week there was clear evidence of at least two people squatting in the first floor of the Round House. When I returned the following day two young lads – no more than 16 years old – were wandering into the derelict, potentially dangerous building.

Its days as a place of education are in the past, its future is set to be residential ... but its present is one of sadness.

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