A new housing development of 97 homes for social rent in Lumphinnans has been paused indefinitely, meaning potentially months of waiting for locals hoping to move in.
It’s understood the developer, First Endeavour LLP, and Fife Council are in a contractual dispute, with the local authority taking action to end the contract, local councillors updated Cowdenbeath Community Council at their recent meeting.
Just back in December the development was hailed for its innovative heating system and that the first 25 units would be ready in the Spring, but with the site abandoned, that plan now appears to be in serious doubt, and no update when the first homes will be ready.
John Mills, Head of Fife’s Housing Services told us, “We are still assessing the potential impact of this issue on four affordable housing developments, totalling 204 new affordable homes at Dunfermline, Lochore, Kirkcaldy and Lumphinnans. We’ll be working to make sure building work continues and that new homes can be finished and allocated with minimum delay.”
SNP Councillor for Cowdenbeath, Bailey-Lee Robb, said it was “disgraceful” the situation had been allowed to get to this stage. “The Scottish Government have provided Fife with over £100 million for housing over the past decade and yet this Labour-run Council can’t get the houses built that are so desperately needed by folk living in cramped, cold and mouldy homes. It seems to me like they are asleep at the wheel when it comes to house building in Fife.”
But Labour’s Housing spokesperson, Cllr Judy Hamilton hit back, saying, “Far from being asleep at the wheel – working with our partners, the Scottish Government, Fife Housing Association Alliance and private developers, we have delivered one of the largest social housing programmes in Scotland and even the UK, delivering 7,400 homes since 2012. The impediment we have to accelerating this programme is that one of the four partners, the Scottish Government, is proposing to break our sector-leading partnership and cut their support by a whopping 26%, putting programmes for new homes we need at risk. They have de-prioritised housebuilding. Jobs and apprenticeships in the construction industry are under threat and our local economy faces a significant blow.”
The development, just off Lochgelly Road, was to contain a mix of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 bedroom homes, including wheelchair accessible cottages, as part of Phase 3 of Fife Council’s Affordable Housing Programme.
Conservative Councillor for Cowdenbeath, Darren Watt, told us, “Although this is still an ongoing situation, it is rather concerning that it has got to this stage without any formal update or briefing prior. The lack of suitable housing in the Cowdenbeath area is very much top of my agenda and I will do all I can in my role and capacity to ensure this development is completed at the earliest opportunity and without needless dither or delay. Further to that, I will ensure a robust investigation is carried out and scrutinised at the relevant committee at Fife Council, as Councillors, local residents and stakeholders will have many questions that will need answered by those responsible for overseeing such projects.”
The new development promised “energy efficient homes, which will include ground source heating and solar panels to help reduce utility costs.” Now, with more than 15,000 people on the Fife Housing Register, the building work has been paused and the site gates closed.
It was reported that the firm had “mistakenly” sacked around 30 workers days before Christmas after redundancy letters had been issued by the builders, with bosses citing a delay in payment from Fife Council, which they later withdrew as an “administrative error”.
The street names for the new builds were agreed in February 2023, with Meldrum View and McLeod Way honouring local doctors, and Zetland Crescent to honour the Marquess of Zealand who donated the war memorial to the village.
Attempts by us to contact First Endeavour LLP for comment have so far been unsuccessful.
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