Demolition experts will move in next month to topple two of Kincardine’s trio of high-rise flats.
Sandeman and Kincairne courts will be brought down by the controlled use of explosives on June 27, leaving only Ramsay Court remaining for the time being.
All three blocksforming an iconic if maligned landmark at the gateway to Fife from the Forth into Kincardinewere built in the 1960s, primarily to house workers at the nearby Longannet power station.
When first built, the flats were considered desirable.
However, they became increasingly unpopularand as people moved out have been blighted by anti-social behaviour and were extremely hard to let.
When the decision was taken to demolish the 16-storey blocks some years ago only 93 out of the 180 homes there were still occupied.
Councillors on the then west area services committee backed the plan to pull down the flats and replace them with a new housing development after hearing how they had gone downhill over the years.
An assessment showed the blocks were not well liked in the village and were unpopular with existing tenants, other villagers and future possible customers.
Consultants were employed by the council to carry out the study on the long-term future of the multi-storey blocks.
They came up with four possible optionsto retain the flats and do them up, to have a complete redevelopment of the area, to carry out a partial refurbishment and retain one block or to sell the blocks to the private sector or housing agency.
However, it was considered too expensive to refurbish them to the necessary Scottish Housing Quality Standard and partial redevelopment was said to be a compromise which might still prove unpopular and have the council face the same letting problems, while selling the properties could lead to a shortage of rented local accommodation.’Best option’It was felt the best option was to demolish the flats and build new housing stock on the site.
The last remaining tenants left the tower blocks last July and Ramsay Court is currently being used to house some former residents.
However, it is also earmarked for demolition once the new buildings on site become available for use.
William Sinclair of Safedem, the company Fife Council has contracted to carry out the demolition work, said the firm’s experienced teams were working closely with all of the organisations involved in planning, co-ordinating and managing this operation to bring down the towers.
“The safety aspect of the demolition is of paramount importance,” he added.
With this in mind, an exclusion zone will be set up on June 27 and residents within this exclusion zone will be evacuated.
The company’s community liaison teams will now be visiting residents to put the necessary arrangements in place for the evacuation.
He added that on the demolition day itself, operations will begin early in the morning with the demolition taking place as soon as possible after the evacuation has been completed and all necessary safety and security checks have been carried out.
Some roads will be closed and there will be an element of disruption so people should avoid the area if at all possible, he said.
Councillor Brian Goodall, chairman of Fife Council’s housing and communities committee, added, “One of the council’s big priorities is increasing access to housing and the redevelopment of the area will play a big part in delivering on that priority in the next few years.”
Preparatory work is under way for phase one of a £6 million project which will see Kingdom Housing Association build 65 properties in the area.