WEST Fife councillors, Fife College lecturers and community representatives have been given a tour of three of Fife Council's large capital projects in Dunfermline.
Sites visited were the Abbeyview Community Centre, Dunfermline Learning Campus and Fife Interchange North and those in attendance got to see first-hand the progress and challenges on site and ask the project team questions.
City of Dunfermline Area Convener, councillor James Calder, said: “I’m pleased so many community representatives got the opportunity to go on site and see the scale and quality of the builds.
“We’re investing over £130million in the City of Dunfermline through creating a new community hub in Abbeyview, replacing St Columba’s and Woodmill High Schools, and thanks to City Region Deal funding, building a new business park at Fife Interchange North.
READ MORE: 'Serious and significant' concerns over school in Aberdour
“As a new city, Dunfermline needs facilities that reflect this status and encourage further growth and investment in the city and Fife.”
Work creating the new Abbeyview Community Hub is progressing well and should be complete in Autumn 2024.
The hub will provide a range of general-purpose rooms, one will be linked to the multi-use hall allowing larger events to be held, a large community space, a dedicated training kitchen and a changing places facility.
Once the new hub is fully operational, the existing Abbeyview Community Centre will be demolished for future development.
Dunfermline Learning Campus will bring together pupils, students and staff at St Columba’s RC High School, Woodmill High School and Fife College in modern, fit for purpose and low carbon facilities.
The schools at Dunfermline Learning Campus will open to pupils in August 2024 and the college will have a phased opening during 2025.
Fife College Principal Jim Metcalfe said: “The College has a close working partnership with Fife Council, and we’re delighted its impact will grow with the DLC development.
"The College is already officially one of the best colleges in Scotland to support students into work and future opportunity, and working with our partner schools in Dunfermline, we are ambitious for the future.”
Fife Interchange North, funded by the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, is a major business park with first-class location, transport connections and workforce availability, and is already home to Amazon UK’s 1.1 million sq. ft fulfilment centre.
READ MORE: Plaques remember 'extraordinary' Rosyth firefighter
The site has excellent links to mid-Fife, enabling job seekers to easily access employment opportunities. The 10 business units will range in size from 160sqm to 365sqm, with the option to combine units, including the potential to provide a single unit of 730 sqm.
The units are due for completion in Autumn 2024 and will be available to rent to innovative businesses that are looking to invest and expand in Fife.
The development is part of the £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal, a partnership of local authorities, universities and colleges, and the Scottish and UK Governments to deliver a 15-year programme that is transforming the regional economy.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here