“Several housebuilders” have expressed an interest in buying the huge Fife College campus site in Dunfermline, The Courier can reveal.
The 25.5-acre site has been put on the market as students prepare to move to the city’s new learning campus later this year.
No price is being advertised for the land, which is the size of about 16 football pitches.
However, it is already gathering plenty of interest from potential developers.
Keith Hutchison, partner at Montagu Evans – which is marketing the site for sale – says many uses are possible but redeveloping the land for homes is the most likely.
Housing firms register interest in buying Dunfermline college campus land
He told The Courier: “We are not ruling in or out any potential uses, and the marketing campaign will ultimately show where demand comes from.
“However, I think the most likely future use is housing, and the early stages of the marking campaign support this with interest registered from several housebuilders.
“Local and national housing emergencies have been declared by Fife Council and the Scottish Government respectively.
“There is an acute housing shortage which has been exacerbated by significant build cost inflation since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has made new housing development more challenging to deliver.”
Addressing other potential uses for the site – which is across the road from Halbeath Retail Park – he said: “Significant retail or leisure development at the site is unlikely to be supported by planning policy and the location is not considered to be suitable for industrial use.
“There is no demand for office development in this location, and it is not financially viable in any event.”
Keith says the site would be attractive to housebuilders due to its proximity to services like Queen Margaret railway station, Halbeath Park and Ride, bus services and cycle routes.
He continued: “A housing development at the property will be expected to deliver 25% affordable housing on-site, in line with planning policy/guidance.
“Construction jobs will be generated during the demolition and construction phases.
“The occupiers of the new homes will help to support local businesses.”
Offers are being invited for the land, which will be vacant from the start of 2026.
Any sale will not include the Busy Bees Nursery, which will remain, and it also will not affect the Holiday Inn Express.
Buildings on Fife College campus site ‘dated’
Keith added: “The sale of the site is expected to be ‘subject to planning permission’, where various factors will be considered.
“However, this is a ‘brownfield’ site where the existing buildings are dated and effectively at the end of their useful economic life, and national planning policy supports brownfield development in preference to greenfield.”
The Courier has taken a look at five Dunfermline housing developments that are set to bring thousands of new homes to the city.
- Would you support housing on the Fife College Dunfermline campus site? Let us know in the comments below
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