Fife Council has approved the redevelopment of the Glenwood Centre in West Glenrothes.

Extensive consultation in local communities concluded the Glenwood Centre flats and retail units adversely affected the reputation of the whole area and the only way to revamp the area was to "pull it down and start again".

Councillors have now approved the demolition of the centre.

The Assets, Property and Facilities Committee has also decided to move towards a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on all the privately-owned properties, so the centre can be demolished and the area improved. Through the project all non-Council owned homes and business properties will be bought by the council and then demolished and the site cleared. The overall aim is to then regenerate the area into a place where people want to live and do business.

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Committee Convenor Cllr Craig Walker, said: "As committee convener and a local member for Glenrothes, I'm delighted with the decision taken today. This is fantastic news for the whole area.

"We spent a long time talking to local people, to find out from them what they most wanted to see happen in their area. It became clear that most viewed the transformation of the Glenwood Centre as key to helping the area move on.

"We gave the community three regeneration options, and the clear view that came through, was that people felt the Glenwood Centre had to go. The area is a combination of flats and shops, some are owned by the council but many others are owned privately. The committee heard today that the best, fairest and easiest way to deal with this is through CPOs, which will mean we can move on with any regeneration much faster."

The next steps will be to develop a masterplan for the Glenwood Centre. Local community groups and others with an interest will be asked to help develop this, taking into account the concepts and views expressed during the Charette process.

(MH/JG)