Fife Council surprised by low tender for new Abbeyview hub

In November Fife Council said the estimated cost for the project had risen by £2m to £9.5m.

Now they're saying it's gone down by £2m - it's been described as an 'underspend' - although that may change too.

At the cabinet committee on Thursday, head of finance Elaine Muir explained: "The tender for that project has come back significantly lower than expected but I would caveat that by saying it's still early days for that project and as time moves on we will have more certainty around those costs."

The new Abbeyview hub, which was supposed to be finished last September but is now due to open in the Autumn, will effectively replace three buildings.

The council have knocked down the Tryst, the community centre is likely to follow, and they'll enlarge and refurbish the former local office to create one big centre.

The initial estimate for the hub, which was first mentioned in 2017, was £6.5m.

Around £300,000 of work on the new city square, at the gap site on Dunfermline High Street, has also been delayed. (Image: Fife Council)

This went up to £7.5m in March 2022 and up to £9.5m in November last year.

The Abbeyview hub is one of 30 'major projects' - those that cost £5m and over - in the council's capital plan with an overall budget of just under £1.2 billion.

More money was ploughed into the plan last June with cost pressures due to inflation and difficulties in supply chains.

Ms Muir said that there will be a "record" spend in the coming financial year with £305m of capital works set to take place.

She also updated councillors on some of the other projects, with the cost of phase two of the Cowdenbeath Leisure Centre revamp going up by £484,000 to £7.8m.

It's due to close in April for 14 months for a major refurbishment that will also see the town's library relocate from High Street to the Stenhouse Street building.

There is also 'slippage' - work that was due to take place this financial year but has been pushed into the next - of £421,000 on the Inverkeithing Heritage Public Realm project due to "delays from complex tenders at this site" and £300,000 at the gap site development on Dunfermline High Street.

The latter is down to "delays in finalising designs to minimise revenue costs".

In Kelty there is £250,000 of work at the community centre car park that is "unlikely to commence" in 2023-24 while £171,000 of work at Lochore Meadows will also be pushed back, although the project for a brand new 'destination' play park is now progressing.

Plans for new and improved play parks elsewhere, as well as some astroturf sports pitches, have been delayed and there is slippage of £567,000 at Fife Interchange North - the new business park being built near Amazon's fulfilment centre - where a "new contractor for groundworks was required".