DUNFERMLINE’S most famous nightspot, the Ballroom, popular with generations of West Fifers but now lying disused, is not expected ever to re-open.

With no offers made for the derelict building, the possibility is growing that the Carnegie Drive site will be cleared and shops built in its place.

Known over its 76 years as the Kinema Ballroom, Night Magic, Hollywood Boulevard and latterly Velocity, the site also takes in the former Sinky’s pub.

For decades the complex was at the centre of Dunfermline’s entertainment scene and one of Scotland’s most important venues for live music.

It boasts an illustrious roll of acts who played there including David Bowie, Elton John, The Who, Cream, The Clash, Thin Lizzy and Billy Connolly.

Despite its current desolate look, the location could be seen as a prime retail opportunity in a busy part of the city centre. It is situated next to the bus station, close to the Kingsgate, Carnegie Leisure Centre and opposite the soon-to-open Tesco store and Fire Station Creative arts centre.

Most recently operating as Velocity but now closed for several years, the property has been up for sale at a much reduced price of £475,000 but there have been no takers.

Andrew McPherson, agent with Ryder commercial property consultants, said, “It’s still on the market at the moment. We’ve had a few viewings but no firm offers yet.

“I don’t think it will ever open again as a nightclub. That’s my personal view but for some form of development, yes it would be perfect for that given what’s going on in the area.

“That’s where we see the potential as some form of development, probably retail.

“You could either clear the site or try to convert what is there. It might be just as cheap to clear it and start from scratch to be honest.

“You could conceivably convert it into a retail development as it stands.

“Any prospective developer would have to do that appraisal on whether it’s viable to convert or whether to start from scratch.

“That’s one of the possibilities. It would be very suitable for that obviously.

“The fact that it’s such a large building means that people would have to think very carefully about what they would do with it. It would need quite a lot of money put into it but it does have possibilities for redevelopment.” In the disco era of the 1980s, it was transformed into a laser light show extravaganza as Night Magic and later it was popular under the name Hollywood Boulevard.

In 2007, new owners Castle Leisure Group carried out a major renovation programme on the nightclub before re-opening as Velocity.

However, despite a successful series of concerts by bands such as The View and Glasvegas, operations at the venue were scaled down just two years later and it eventually closed completely.