THE ABANDONED land that was meant to house a new Tesco store in Cowdenbeath has been sold to a Glasgow property developer.

News in January that the supermarket giants had pulled out was met with disappointment by residents and local councillors, with Peter Lockhart branding it a “body blow” to the town.

Now, it has emerged that the North End Park site could still be set for retail stores.

A spokesperson for new owners, London & Scottish Investments, confirmed that the proposals were still at an early stage and subject to approval with the local council, however the development is likely to be for mixed use aand retail use.

Bryan Wilson, group development director at London & Scottish, said, “We are delighted to announce the purchase of the Cowdenbeath site and others which is fantastic news for the towns involved.

“We now look forward to meeting with council leaders and planning officers from all the local authorities involved, to discuss and review our plans for the economic redevelopment of these sites. We have had discussions with a range of potential tenants that wish to occupy the proposed new developments, and we would expect that a significant number of jobs will be created as a result.” Cowdenbeath councillor Gary Guichan (above) welcomed the news and said, “We don’t want the site sitting vacant so hopefully the new owner puts forward a reasonable proposal that works for the town.

“Tesco pulling out was a huge disappointment from a shopping and jobs point of view so anything coming in to enhance the town and provide local jobs is to be welcomed.” A spokesman for Tesco said, “I am pleased to confirm the sale of our land at Cowdenbeath. Since we took the difficult decision not to build a new store, we have been actively seeking a purchaser. Today we have concluded a deal with Glasgow-based property development company London and Scottish.

“We share the community’s ambition to see the land brought into use. We remain extremely grateful for the support our plans for the site received. Today’s announcement will help move forward the development of the land.”