“The mood music has improved” amid the efforts to regenerate Glenrothes town centre, it has been claimed.
Norman Laird, Fife Council’s area services manager for the town, said the new owner of the Kingdom Centre has provided optimism that combined efforts to improve the area can be made.
The shopping centre was purchased by Mars Pension Trustees Ltd last year and is managed on its behalf by LaSalle Investment Management.
Since taking over from the previous custodians, insurance giant CIS/AXA, Mr Laird says LaSalle has been happy to engage with Fife Council over its running of the Kingdom Centre. “LaSalle has given us positive feedback,” he said.
“It is early days but the mood music has improved. We actually have people that we can speak to face to face. I am more hopeful than I was at this time last year.”
As part of the effort to regenerate the shopping precinct, the local authority has created a design concept to regenerate the Albany Gate area (inset), formerly home to the Co-op department store.
LaSalle is also understood to have employed an architect to redevelop the area, although any firm plans are unlikely to emerge in the near future.
Some short-term improvements for the site have also been suggested, including the use of vinyl wraps in the windows of the former department store to improve the environment for shoppers.
Though happy to hear of the progress being made in the links between the shopping centre owner and the local authority, SNP councillor John Beare said this early progress must be continued.
He said: “The arrival of the new owners has been a significant game changer and hopefully they will move forward.
“Like a football manager, the results can improve for a while but still they end up in the same old relegation battle.”
Fellow SNP councillor Ross Vettraino said that the best way of making the shopping centre more attractive was by bringing in retailers that are appealing to consumers.
He added: “If we can entice any shops where the public want to spend their money then the town centre will be successful.
“That responsibility rests with the retail industry and if they don’t identify the town centre as a good place for an outlet then that’s what happens.”