By Aileen Robertson

DUNFERMLINE COULD miss out on hundreds of new jobs if negotiations surrounding the purchase of the former Hyundai plant fall through, a local councillor has warned.

The Courier recently revealed a US firm had applied for Scottish Government funding to finally put the building, which has lain empty for over a decade, to use.

It is understood the company was strictly guarding its confidentiality while the grant was finalised however a weekly local newspaper revealed yesterday the firm was California-based Zoom Diversified Inc.

Dunfermline south councillor Mike Rumney said such a leak was irresponsible while discussions about funding were still ongoing.

He said, “We have been trying to find out the name of the company for months and no one would tell us, that’s how sensitive and confidential the company wanted to keep things.

“In a way, the company is quite right and we should respect its commercial confidentiality. There are serious negotiations going on with the Scottish Government about regional assistance.

“We’ve seen what happened with Hyundai and Motorola. I think we could be in danger of building false expectations given the past history of the site. We’re talking about 600 jobs, so let’s get it signed, sealed and delivered first.”

Eleven years ago, Hyundai announced it planned to make a £2.4 billion investment in the site at Halbeath and bring up to 2000 jobs.

The massive microchip factory has since been sold to Motorola then to Freescale Semiconductor, who now own it, without a single component being made.

“I think it’s vitally important that something happens with that building, whether another company comes in or it gets demolished. It’s becoming a blot on the landscape,” said Mr Rumney.

“It could contribute to the growth of the economy, not just in Fife but across central Scotland.”

Dunfermline and West Fife MP Willie Rennie said, “It’s important Fife does everything it can to make sure that any interested businesses wanting to open up the Hyundai building are given all the support that they need.

“People are obviously nervous when negotiations are ongoing and unfortunately the name of the company has been leaked to the media.

“But this is not the time to squabble about leaks, it’s time to do the right thing for Fife.”

Freescale have remained tight-lipped about plans for the site.

A Freescale spokeswoman would only say, “The building is not sold and we certainly would not comment on speculation about who negotiations have been taking place with.”

Stuart Nichol, executive director of Fife Council’s environment and development services, said the Invest in Fife partnership of the council and Scottish Enterprise was working with national agencies and Freescale to attract a buyer to the site.

A Scottish Enterprise spokesperson added, “We are working with Freescale and their agents to explore options for maximising the potential of this site and ensuring it can make a significant contribution to the continuing development of the Fife economy.”