40-year old empty Fife Council office block set for demolition

Rothesay House was mothballed in December 2020, and the last remaining staff moved out in July. Now councillors are being asked to raze the building at a cost of £1.4m to create a new development site in the heart of the town. The 40-year old building is no longer fit for purpose, and a report to next week’s cabinet committee meeting argues that, with little interest in it as office space, the best option is to bring it down completely.

Rothesay House effectively reached the end of the road three years ago when staff were relocated to reconfigured offices in Fife House and at Bankhead. The bulk of these moves were completed by December 2021. A small number of staff associated with the community alarms system who remained in Rothesay House transferred to Bankhead in July.

A report to councillors states: “The council continues to face significant financial pressures, with a reducing budget required to address increasing energy efficiency requirements and higher property maintenance liabilities as buildings degrade over time, consequently further reductions in the extent of operational estate are required. Demolition would support attainment of that objective.”

The office block is made of “poorly insulated precast concrete construction with many of the building’s components nearing end of life” and that limits any future usage.

“Experience with other sites and properties in the area, including Kingdom House, has shown that it is extremely unlikely that there would be any market interest in the building as an office,” the report continued. “The cleared site would offer an opportunity to secure private sector investment in the town centre, which would support the council’s ambition for the regeneration of the area. It offers a large area of land, in close proximity to the Kingdom Centre, the Rothes Halls, public transport and other amenities.”

It is estimated that demolition, decommissioning and landscaping costs will result in revenue savings of £0.420m per annum with an estimated payback period of just over three years. The committee meets on Thursday, November 2 to consider the recommendation,.