The £1.4 million transformation of a Kirkcaldy building to house voluntary organisations has been hailed as hugely beneficial to the public.
New Volunteer House at Wemyssfield will open in early February after a full refurbishment brought it back to its best.
When the scaffolding comes off, it will initially become home to five voluntary groups under one roof within walking distance of the bus station.
HM Courts Tribunal Service, Citizens Advice and Rights Fife (CARF) , Scottish Autism, Frontline Fife and Fife Council’s IT training suite will all be located there, with scope for more organisations to join them in the future.
Kirkcaldy area committee chair, Councillor Neil Crooks, said it had been a major investment for the town.
“This idea of having a lot of voluntary organisations in Kirkcaldy under one roof is a big benefit to people seeking help from them,” he said.
“Rather than going from pillar to post, there will be a whole lot of them within walking distance of the bus station.”
The building has been leased from the council since 2014 by Fife Voluntary Action, an umbrella body for a number of groups and charities.
Tenants were decanted during the renovation, which included a new roof, a new heating system, electrical work, carpets and decoration.
Dry rot was discovered and fixed after the project started.
All the work was done by the council’s building services staff and Mr Crooks said they had excelled themselves.
“If building services hadn’t been able to do it, the costs would have been out of reach,” he said.
“It’s been superbly managed and it’s a fantastic job that’s been done.”
John Rodigan, building services senior manager, said the intention had been to give the building another 70 to 100 years of life.
“We now have a building back to its glorious best,” he said.
“I visited yesterday and I was very impressed.
“The official completion date is January 27 but it’s virtually there.”
