A historic Kirkcaldy building could still be demolished after councillors failed to approve plans to save it.
Members of Fife Council’s central area planning committee agreed to visit the site of the former Victoria Power Station on Victoria Road after developers proposed to build a care home on the land.
Planning officials recommended refusal of the plans, which could have saved the 111-year-old building for now, but members agreed to visit the site, stating almost overwhelmingly that if no use for the dilapidated building can be found then it should be razed.
Councillor George Kay said: “The building has not stood the test of time.
“It is an absolute blot on the landscape and it has to be said that if we don’t remove it then we are not open for business.
“We really do have to consider the application. It does have some architectural merit but being old does not mean that something has to be taken forward.
“It is holding up development of that whole part of town.”
The B-listed building was designed for Kirkcaldy Corporation Tramways by local architect William Williamson.
Opened in 1903, the facade onto Victoria Road was detailed in an Edwardian Baroque-style, commonplace at the time but now increasingly rare in the town.
Its preservation had been deemed important by Fife Council planning officers, despite the poor state of the rest of the structure.
The cost of bringing the building up to current standards is believed to stand at about £3 million, despite the value of any refurbished property said to be worth in the region of £350,000.
Councillor Arthur Morrison said he wished to see the building preserved and possibly incorporated into any future development, while fellow representative Kay Carrington proposed a site visit.
Members agreed to the proposal, with the building’s future set to be decided after the summer.