Hopes of establishing a hovercraft service between Fife and Edinburgh could scupper plans for a new Kirkcaldy supermarket.
Supermarket chain Lidl wants to build a new store on the town’s waterfront but Fife Council planning officers have recommended refusal.
It is claimed the new store, earmarked for empty land directly opposite the Morrisons supermarket at the Esplanade’s west end, would hinder plans to create an attractive entrance to central Kirkcaldy.
In a lengthy report prepared for councillors, who will decide the application when they meet next week, planners make frequent references to a cross-Forth hovercraft service, which had operated on a trial basis at a site opposite the planned store in 2007.
Though plans for a permanent service look to be dead in the water, case officer William Shand said preserving the site for a quality entrance to the town was important.
He states: “The site is considered to be in a prominent location and would serve as an important entrance to Fife from Edinburgh with the introduction of a hovercraft service.
“Given this prominence, any proposed development must be of high quality and demonstrate compliance with key place-making principles.”
He continued: “The proposed development fails to provide a positive entrance to central Kirkcaldy by failing to provide a strong frontage to the A921 along the Esplanade.”
More than 32,000 people made the crossing from Kirkcaldy to Portobello during the two-week hovercraft trial, operated by bus firm Stagecoach.
However, the plans were sunk after Edinburgh City Council refused planning permission for hovercraft landing facilities on the south side of the estuary.
Though another operator looked to revive the plans in 2014, no further developments have been forthcoming and the possibility of a cross-Forth link appear to be sunk.
Lidl, meanwhile, is looking to relocate from its current location on the Esplanade, and has previously stated that its plans for the disused site would create 15 jobs, in addition to its current workforce.
However, Mr Shand’s report also states that a second supermarket in the area could unintentionally create a new retail centre, while also jeopardising the wider Invertiel area.
Members of Fife Council’s central area planning committee will meet on Wednesday afternoon to determine the application.
jowatson@thecourier.co.uk.
