Work is finally about to start on a major £500 million development that will transform Kirkcaldy’s north-eastern fringes, it has been revealed.
Construction vehicles have this week moved onto the Kingdom Park site, seven years after planning permission was granted for the town’s biggest house-building project in a generation.
The massive Kingslaw plan, spearheaded by Murray Estates, will see the town’s population swell significantly over the next two decades as new neighbourhoods are created in five stages..
Once complete, the land just off the A92 will boast more than 1,000 new homes, a primary school, shops and a community centre, with improvements to the roads network – including redevelopment of the Redhouse roundabout – also promised in a bid to resolve congestion.
The project has been close to starting several times but Murray Estates, owned by former Rangers supremo David Murray, confirmed on Thursday it was now almost ready to begin construction.
The news has been hailed by locals who had feared the development may never get off the ground after years of delays.
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Kirkcaldy East SNP councillor Rod Cavanagh said the new housing is much needed.
“I welcome the fact that preliminary work has started and look forward to the main construction work commencing in the near future,” he said.
“This additional housing will be extremely welcome in these times of shortage.
“It will include affordable housing, which is to be welcomed.”
Mr Cavanagh said he understood the delay had been down to logistical issues, including planning technicalities and the position of sewers.
Planning permission was originally granted in 2012 after several years in the pipeline, and legal agreements were completed two years later.
The work will take place on a former opencast coal mine over 15 to 20 years.
It will see 817 private homes and a further 273 affordable houses.
Murray Estates previously described the development as one of its flagship projects and said it had received a huge amount of market interest from both house-builders and retailers.
