COWDENBEATH’S three councillors and the town’s MSP have pledged to find answers as to how the void left by the announcement by Tesco that the superstore giant will not now be coming to the town can be filled.

Tesco, on Thursday, said that the North End Park store was one of 49 new outlets that would not be going ahead throughout the UK due to a change in direction by the retail conglomorate.

And that is despite the fact that as part of the project, the football complex at Lumphinnans, was now complete.

Councillor Peter Lockhart was highly concerned by the whole correspondence from Tesco CEO, Dave Lewis, and he said, “This is a big body blow to Cowdenbeath.

“Losing a store which we had hoped would breathe new life into the north end of High Street is bad enough, but I am concerned who they might sell the land to.

“Hopefully it might be another retail organisation who will look to build something similar to what Tesco had planned. I just hope that it will not be people who might think about trying to get housing in this part of the town, as for me that would not be a good move.” He added, “I feel for the business people who have had to move because of Tesco’s plans, we have lost some good restaurants because of it and while Just Right is still in the town, it is at the other end of the High Street now.

“This situation has left a big hole in High Street and we are going to have to hold meetings quickly to decide on how we can deal with this blow.” Councillor Alistair Bain described it as a ‘sad situation’ and added, “With the £1.9m sports hub at Lumphinanns ready to open this month we were all ready to see the new store take shape at North End Park, then we get this announcement. It is disappointing that Tesco have done this but there is hope that they aim to sell the site as quickly as possible so hopefully things will still happen at this end of High Street.

“Certainly it is important that we keep an eye on what is happening and try and help in the search for a way of filling the void left by Tesco’s withdrawal.” Councillor Gary Guichan commented, “The sports hub will be a great addition to the area, but the 150 jobs would have been even more welcome.

“I am bitterly disappointed to hear this news but not totally surprised given the negative reports coming out of Tesco for some months now.

“I think it will be important to watch this space to see how any potential sale of the North End Park site goes and any subsequent planning applications that follow”.

MSP Alex Rowley wants to see a strategic plan put in place to map out the future of the High Street.

“This is a set-back of some considerable size but we cannot stand still,” he said, “Hopefully we can put together a group which can look at this and help get the right project in place to replace Tesco.

“The jobs aspect is another big aspect of losing Tesco and I would like to think that Fife Council will step up to the plate and play its part in helping guide the town through this difficult moment.” In a letter to MSP Alex Rowley, Tesco chief executive, Dave Lewis, said, “As you will have read in the media, our performance as a business has fallen significantly short of where we would want it to be. As a result the financial resources we have available for new investment are severely constrained and we have had to critically review all current and future investment decisions.

“My absolute imperative has to be to protect the future of our business for the 300,000 colleagues we employ in communities all over the UK. In recent weeks we have had to face up to some very tough decisions which affect many hard-working people. I don’t do that lightly and so it is with a heavy heart that I am announcing today that we are unable to proceed with 49 new planned store developments across the country, including our store in Cowdenbeath.

“I am very sorry that we have not been able to deliver the investment that we intended. I know this news will be a real disappointment to many people in the community and we are extremely grateful for the support we have received for our plans”.

Mr Lewis added, “We are keenly aware of the importance of the North End Park site to the local community and we want to ensure that it is put to alternative use as soon as possible. We have therefore agreed to sell the site to a developer who will be bringing forward an alternative proposal in the coming months.” MSP Alex Rowley added, “We will have to see who Tesco sell the land to but at this moment we have to be ready to tackle the various questions that will come up when a new developer becomes involved.

“The north end of Cowdenbeath High Street was going to get a lift from the Tesco project but that is over now and we have to consider what is next as with the shop units at the top end now going to be left empty and the derelict Crown building dominating the scene, it is not a good sight for people entering the town from the north end to see.” Mr Rowley added that other towns had benefited from communities getting involved in empty properties and forming organisations which could get important financial backing to make things happen, with West Kilbride and Haddington being examples of this.

“We have to be prepared to look at as many ways as possible to get things moving in High Street after this Tesco blow,” he concluded.