The future of one of the largest brownfield sites in the UK has become clearer with a range of new plots being put on the market.
The 1,049-acre Westfield site near Kinglassie has been earmarked for industrial, employment and energy-related uses by owner Hargreaves Land, a subsidiary of Hargreaves Services Plc.
The Durham-based firm acquired the site in 2013, and has been developing a masterplan to bring about the restoration and redevelopment of the former opencast mine, which ended coal production in 1998.
Property regeneration company Hargreaves Land has announced the appointment of Ryden and JLL as marketing agents for the scheme, citing it as one of the largest industrial redevelopment opportunities in Scotland.
Phil Rayson, senior planning and development manager at Hargreaves Land, said: “We believe that with the proper investment, the site location, scale and unique features can be exploited to create a visionary and innovative regeneration and development project.
“We are delighted to have the support of Invest in Fife, JLL and Ryden, we have also engaged with the local community and key stakeholders to ensure our proposals take an integrated approach to regenerating this historically impacted site.
“We are committed to improving the biodiversity of the site, increasing public accessibility and incorporating a range of renewable energy systems, including energy recovery from residual waste.
“This energy can then support other development proposals and a range of new business opportunities.”
The brownfield site, which has planning permission in principle for the masterplan, has two plots already under offer.
Detailed planning consent has been granted for a 22 megawatt energy from waste facility which, once completed, will provide occupiers with significant supplies of heat, power and steam.
Ryden partner Neil McAllister said: “Given the scale of the site it has the potential to once again become a major business and employment hub for Scotland.
“It’s great to see this redundant site being brought back to life and we expect to see interest from a variety of users for the freehold and leasehold opportunities available.”
