New retail centre revealed as part of Kirkcaldy’s expansion

Work on the huge Kingdom Park development, situated between the A92 and A915 at Kingslaw, is continuing apace and will see almost 1,100 new homes created by 2028.

Many of the new properties towards the southern edge of the sprawling site have been completed, and the next phase of the project to provide a retail centre just off Randolph Road has been approved by Fife Council planners.

A total of 10 commercial units will be constructed on land known as Plot 1G, which is in a prominent location at the south of the masterplan area.

Nine will be single-storey terraced commercial units of varying sizes, while one further detached unit will include a drive-thru.

No details of which companies will move into the neighbourhood centre development have been divulged as yet, but those behind the wider Kingdom Park project believe the mix of potential uses on offer will prove attractive to prospective tenants.

A total of 58 parking spaces are also envisaged, including four disabled spaces, two parent and child spaces and six electric vehicle charging bays, which is actually 11 fewer than recommended guidelines.

However, planners have deemed the numbers acceptable given the development's location, walking and cycling routes throughout the site, and the desire to deliver an enhanced public realm.

A statement from 3DReid, which provided designs for the development, said: “The original masterplan layout defined an L-shaped arrangement of retail units, with rear elevations facing the north and west of the plot.

“A service lane to the north of the site, accessed adjacent to the east gable of one of the retail terraces defined a large delivery area, resulting in an inward looking arrangement which turned its back on all neighbouring developments and street-scapes.

“The proposals have therefore been developed to overcome these perceived negatives and through consideration of various iterations of the layout, we have sought to minimise the extent of inactive façades whilst also enhancing the retail site’s relationship with the surrounding environment.

“The scale of units, being of a single storey with heights in keeping with adjacent residential properties, and the materials proposed for the terrace, look to integrate the retail development with the domestic fabric beyond, albeit with a clear architectural language which defines the use.”

A condition of the planning consent issued by Fife Council stipulates that the drive-thrus operating hours will be restricted to 7am to 11pm inclusive, as not enough information is currently available to demonstrate that the drive-thru could operate at night without having a significant impact on neighbouring residential properties.

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