Fife Council has said it is committed to investing in Kirkcaldy’s struggling town centre.
The town’s economy was already in decline before the pandemic hit, with nearly a third of available shop floor space lying vacant – 31% in comparison to the Fife average of 21%.
Kirkcaldy has the second highest rate of vacant floor space in Fife after Kincardine but a strategy is being developed to revitalise what was once a bustling High Street.
Labour councillor Neil Crooks, who is convener of Kirkcaldy Area Committee, said with investment the town would recover but improvements would not happen overnight.
“There’s no getting away from the fact that the past year has brought us many challenges and although the full impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is still to emerge, it’s important that we keep focussed and work towards our goals for Kirkcaldy,” he said.
“Yes, it’s going to take time to recover but that doesn’t mean we won’t.
“If it wasn’t for our local communities getting involved in the various consultations and workshops, either directly with ourselves or through community organisations and community conversations that have taken place, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
“They’ve been integral to what’s been achieved so far, and we need to keep the momentum going.”
Kirkcaldy Area Committee was this week updated on projects aimed at improving the town’s economy.
The £1.6m council-funded Waterfront Regeneration Project is due to be completed this year, having been delayed a year because of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Postings steps have been repaired and street art, and lighting, installed.
As the country was placed into lockdown in March last year, a community interest company called Love Oor Lang Toun was established to promote the town centre and support businesses as they adapted to Covid-19 restrictions.
An unsightly gap site where the town’s Co-op once stood is going to be redeveloped for housing and luxury apartments are being built at the historic Olympia Arcade.
Councillors were also updated on recent unemployment figures.
The area suffers from high unemployment, with the town’s employment rate lower than both the Scottish and Fife averages.
Latest figures indicate that the proportion of men in employment in Kirkcaldy is nearly eight percentage points below the Scottish rate.
There are an estimated 3,200 people claiming out-of-work benefits in Kirkcaldy – more than anywhere else in Fife.
A report prepared for the committee stated: “Resident earnings in the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath area are higher than workplace earnings. This suggests a proportion of residents are travelling to higher paid jobs outside the local area.
“Since 2017 workplace earnings in Kirkcaldy have increased by 6% and resident earnings by 16%.”
