November 5 2019

Fife Council have moved on-site with a waterfront regeneration project in Kirkcaldy which seeks to improve connections between the town centre and the Firth of Forth.

The £1.6m initiative entails four key interventions including rationalising the current road layout to favour pedestrians and the construction of seafront viewing shelters and seating. Key to this approach will be the conversion of a dual carriageway along the current Esplanade to a single two-lane road and the introduction of new pedestrian crossings.

Streetscapes are also being upgraded with natural stone finishes, street furniture, planting, lighting and improved signage.

Cllr Neil Crooks commented: “Unfortunately, over time Kirkcaldy town centre has turned its back on the coastline. This exciting project has been a long time in the making and looks to capitalise on one of the town’s greatest assets once more – its views over the Forth.

“As it is, the dual carriageway encourages drivers to by-pass the town centre. This project aims to encourage those using the Esplanade to make use of the spaces that are being created for pedestrian and social interaction instead.”

Phase one of this work will see the removal of raised central islands on the Esplanade  which is expected to take around 12 weeks to complete.

15 Comments

#1 Posted by Stylecouncil on 5 Nov 2019 at 15:15 PM

Wet weather smoking shelters?...cllr Crooks is right be excited.

#2 Posted by CM on 5 Nov 2019 at 16:50 PM

Reducing the dominance and dependency of the car while building flats with a massive car park...

#3 Posted by Liz brown on 6 Nov 2019 at 05:30 AM

A waste of money it's the high street there needing to try and get people into.

#4 Posted by Gob_Bluth on 6 Nov 2019 at 08:33 AM

This is depressing and dated before it even comes to pass. The apartment building right on the sea front looks like it was designed in a 90's version of Sim City. The viewing shelters would have been a perfect ideas competition for young Scottish architects / students. Instead we have bike shelters re-purposed for smokers.

#5 Posted by embo on 6 Nov 2019 at 09:19 AM

#4 Couldn't agree more. It's going to be much easier, desirable even, to turn your back on the coast with that dirty great building in the way. Perhaps take a look at the way ocean terminal 'reconnects' Leith with the coast - as in not at all. And the bus shelters... Are we so computer illiterate that as long as we sketch something we believe it has 'character'? Is this really all we're capable of?

#6 Posted by John on 6 Nov 2019 at 09:35 AM

Climate crisis and rising sea level? Hello?

#7 Posted by David Campbell on 6 Nov 2019 at 10:36 AM

How typical of Fife Council to waste £1.6m on shelters and a road that already had a redevelopment carried out. The incompetence and audicity is mind boggling. Money could have been used to redevelop the area around Morrison's and brought an area similar to Fife Leisure Park in D.line with a cinema, bowling alley, indoor golf or similar attractions.

#8 Posted by Jacqueline Penman on 6 Nov 2019 at 12:26 PM

Typical fife council wasting money the high street is dead shops are bailing out constantly I think they need to take a long look at the cost of parking with trying to promote new shops within the high street and lower your rent and rates as then we would most likely not lose so many shops. The town is depressing who authorises rubbish

#9 Posted by Robin B's Discount on 6 Nov 2019 at 13:21 PM

@David Campbell - why stop at a cinema, bowling alley, indoor golf centre and various other attractions for your £1.6M. Why not chuck in a Harvey Nichols / Selfridges and a castle similar to Edinburgh?

Darn that pesky council ruining your dreams by understanding how far £1.6M will go.....

#10 Posted by Jack Donaldson on 6 Nov 2019 at 13:48 PM

Another congestion area heading our way!!, The prom fills four lane to the max on a Saturday when the footballs on God knows what it will be like now. Waste of time and money

#11 Posted by Truth smarts on 6 Nov 2019 at 14:03 PM

#8 the council could pay drivers to park in the high streets of Scotland and it would still fail. We've become so Americanized (like it) that we drive to out of town malls and waddle round the temperature controlled environments that are identical to the next mall. How sad. Rates are council controlled so would you rather they were reduced to free or the tax-payer supporting business even more? Rent....look who controls that in the high street - history often has churches owning these.

#12 Posted by Dulnain on 6 Nov 2019 at 18:23 PM

Are the shelters the planning gain resulting from allowing the wonderful seafront flatted development? Seems to be a totally ill thought out master plan if the aim is to tie the seafront to the town.

#13 Posted by Nicola on 6 Nov 2019 at 19:03 PM

There is hardly any shops,, pay for parking prices are terrible...and council forgot about the sea,,the flooding the money spent to fix the prom wall,,, the weather will ruin this its a waste of money Kirkcaldy is a mess,,the whole place is rotten

#14 Posted by Mojo on 7 Nov 2019 at 08:17 AM

Outrageous waste of money...more seating..to look at what? All the dogs feces littering the promenade.

#15 Posted by Robin B's Discount on 8 Nov 2019 at 14:13 PM

It's turned very mumsnet in here. Everyone say hello to the community council.

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