Survey reveals what Kirkcaldy folk really think about town centre

Almost 1000 people took part in the Fife Free Press survey launched late last year to try to bring clarity to the many thoughts on how we revitalise our High Street.

This year has seen a slew of closures which have added to the sense of despondency – The Pancake Place, Babas Bistro and ACA Sports went, followed by M&S, while Santander will axe its branch in summer.

Councillors have picked Kirkcaldy as a pilot for a new ‘placemaking’ project to try to lay the foundations of the High Street of the future – one that is vibrant and offers people many different reasons to visit.

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The integrated approach will look at everything from the contentious issue of parking charges to possibly scrapping pedestrianisation in a bid to come up with a plan that works for the town centre.

Our survey findings underline how challenging the task will be – but it is also packed with ideas and a real desire to see Kirkcaldy’s reputation as the destination of choice restored.

The headlines alone can help councillors consider their next moves.

Our survey revealed:

How numbers visiting the town centre are dwindling while online shopping is soaring;

A clear demand for free parking in the town centre;

Huge support for town centre’s independent traders;

Fife Retail Park is the single biggest opposition for shoppers;

Strong support for our campaign to bring a cinema to town as part of push towards good leisure facilities.

Our survey was launched in late autumn after M&S announced plans to close its Kirkcaldy town centre store after 80 years of trading on the High Street to focus on a new foodhall in Glenrothes.

That shift up the A92 was a sharp reminder of how shopping habits have changed, and also where the investment is going.

We wanted to find out what people thought of the town centre – the good and the bad – and ask them for their own views on what needs to be done.

What came across clearly was a desire to see our town centre vibrant once more –even if fewer and fewer people are using it.

Less than 15 per cent said they were in the town centre daily – just 25 per cent came weekly and 12 per cent fortnightly.

Compare that with over 30 per cent shopping online weekly, and a further 20 per cent fortnightly and you get a snapshot of changing habits which have led to a slew of retail giants disappearing from our High Streets.

But people still want to go to the shops, and our survey underlined that one place overwhelmingly draws them from the town centre.

Over 80 per cent of respondents said they regularly went to Fife Retail Park – almost four times as many who went to Glenrothes, the most popular alternative across Fife.

Interestingly, Edinburgh emerged as the next most popular destination, at 44 per cent, comfortably ahead of Dunfermline, Dundee or Perth.

Clearly, Kirkcaldy cannot recreate what it has lost.

Its days as the jewel in the Kingdom’s retail crown, are over.

So, what do we want for our town centre?

The comments logged in our survey indicate a strong desire for the three Rs – retail, residential and relaxation.

Achieving that mix, argued many, would revitalise the area, give people different reasons to visit at different times across the day and evening, and begin the transformation of a town that has suffered more than most.

And all three figured in the challenge of filling the M&S unit about to be left empty.

Asked what should the building should be used for, the vast majority – some 67 per cent – said retail, but a solid 23.5 per cent wanted that mix of shops, leisure and housing that many now see as the blueprint for the future.

The doors to M&S close on Tuesday. It is a pivotal moment.

It will leave the town with a massive empty unit in the heart of its pedestrianised zone.

It will decimate footfall to the street, and have a direct impact on the Mercat as the shop is one of the main routes into the centre.

The ripples will be felt along to the east and west ends.

Our survey confirms that times are changing but, deep down, we all want the same thing – a vibrant town centre.