The developer behind a proposed £500 million waterfront regeneration scheme at Rosyth has released details of the proposed master plan.
The proposals by Scarborough Muir Group Limited (SMG) for the 120-acre site have been published as part of their submission to the local development plan review, which is currently out for public consultation.
The new master plan comprises:Existing employment areas and proposed new employment areas, forming a continuous business and industrial park around the current commercial waterfront area The Rosyth Gateway commercial zone located at the eastern edge of the site The Mixed-Use Waterfront Destination combining shops, cafes, bars, offices, galleries and apartments Hillside Residential Neighbourhood Waterfront Gardens and LandscapeThe developers say the master-plan concept seeks not only to bolster the area as a diverse and broad-based employment centre but to deliver a first-rate waterfront experience, exploiting the site’s surrounding landscape and historical legacy, its links to Rosyth and neighbouring communities and its south-facing aspect with outstanding views over the Forth and its iconic bridges.
SMG director Ronnie Muir said: “The individual components are designed to be of mutual benefit to one another. “We want people to start and grow a business here, to settle and put down roots here. We also want visitors from across Scotland to visit the waterfront and the existing heritage, including the bridges and Rosyth Castle throughout the year, to stay longer, to spend more and to return year on year.”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wwA-vVz9lv4%3Frel%3D0
The master plan makes available 60 acres of the total land for “employment” uses, which complement existing employment uses that are located in the Port of Rosyth and Rosyth Royal Naval Yard.
The new facilities would provide a range of unit configurations and sizes, catering to a broad range of potential occupiers, from seedbed workshop clusters, to large-scale manufacturing plants.
The master plan would also offer the opportunity for businesses to accommodate production/manufacturing within the Europarc alongside corporate facilities on the waterfront.
The employment uses extend from the western edge of the site, wrapping around the existing quayside employment zone in a continuous arc. Business and employment opportunities will also be created on the principal waterfront site.
The waterfront would be arranged either side of a significant new formal garden and is composed of two elements: a grid of high-specification offices to the west and a mixed-use zone of apartments over an active street frontage of shops, restaurants, galleries and offices arranged along streets and boulevards to the east.
Alex Rowley, Labour MSP for Cowdenbeath and former leader of Fife Council, has urged caution. He said the council must act to ensure the site provided long-term sustainable jobs, incorporating the Port of Rosyth.
He said: “I don’t want to see us run for a few jobs hanging on a retail and housing development at the expense of our future.
“The council needs to start mapping out how it sees the future development of that site.”
Robin Presswood, head of economy, planning and employability services at Fife Council, said new creative thinking around development options for Rosyth is to be welcomed.
He added: “The waterfront remains a strategic asset, not just for the Fife economy but the Scottish economy as a whole.”