HAVELOCK Europa’s Dalgety Bay headquarters could be demolished and sold on by Fife Council this year as part of plans to regenerate the Hillend industrial estate.

Last month, the Press told you that the furniture and interiors solutions firm was set to move out of its West Fife offices after the council agreed to buy the site in a £750,000 deal. Havelock has entered an initial 10-year lease agreement with Fife Council for offices at the John Smith Business Park in Kirkcaldy, with the option to extend for a further five years.

The firm anticipates the sale of the Dalgety Bay site and the lease of the new Kirkcaldy office to be completed in March and expects to move in May.

Fife Council’s executive committee has now authorised officers to conclude negotiations, which will include “associated demolition costs” for the Dalgety Bay property.

Ronnie Hair, property investment and development manager said, “The council will review all options, including demolition or refurbishment.

“Provision for potential demolition will be made within the overall project funding.

“The site has a very prominent position onto the road and could be transformed into serviced employment land.

“This land could encourage future re-development of modern business premises which would be more suitable for modern business needs.

“The council is, however, also looking at options as to whether any part of the existing property could be retained for refurbishment but it would be expected that the main part of the existing property be demolished and the site cleared and capable for redevelopment.” Mr Hair said the site would be capable of “supporting a range of potential employment-related uses”, given its “excellent prominent location” close to the Forth bridges.

He added, “The council will market any available land and/or property on the open market.

“The council hopes to conclude the purchase of the property in the near future and expect it to be secured following Havelock’s relocation to John Smith Business Park.

“It is hoped the site will be put on the market later this year.” Dalgety Bay and Hillend Community Council chair Colin McPhail is set to meet council officers next week for an update.

He said, “As part of the deal that’s been done, Fife Council will take over the site and as part of their regeneration programme, they’re going to knock the premises down and build something else.

“What they’re going to build, I have yet to find out. It will be employment-based but I will be meeting officers next week about the site and and the industrial estate as a whole.

“People want the site to remain for employment and Fife Council want to retain as much employment-based land as as possible.

“The last thing we want is for the big boys like Ingenico and Rolls-Royce disappearing off the estate – the idea is to regenerate the estate, not kill it.” Mr McPhail warned that Fife Council would have to clear up the site if the building is demolished, as “the last thing we want is another big pile of rubble along the main road frontage”.

He continued, “We hope that someone will come in that offers jobs as it will also give local businesses a boost.

“How many jobs have been lost there now that Havelock is moving to Kirkcaldy?” Havelock has also announced that its chief executive Eric Prescott will step down sometimes this year, and that the search for a new chief executive was beginning.