| Location | Glenrothes, Fife and Scotland |
|---|---|
| Address | Glenrothes Town Centre |
| Opening date | 1963 |
| Developer | Neale House / GDC |
| Owner | CIS |
| No. of stores and services | 110 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 1 |
| Total retail floor area | 40,000 square metres (430,000 square feet) |
| Parking | 1,500 |
| Website | www.kingdomshoppingcentre.co.uk |
The Kingdom Centre forms the main shopping element of Glenrothes town centre. It is the largest indoor shopping centre in Fife and is one of the largest single-level indoor shopping centres in Scotland with around 40,000 sq m (430,000 sq ft) of (gross) floorspace.[1][2]
The centre is popular locally and has some of the highest levels of footfall in Fife.[1] The centre currently contains over 100 shops as well as a variety of cafes, the town's central library, the Rothes Halls- the town's theatre and a bingohall and cinema also form part of the shopping complex. The town's main bus station is located next to the southeast end of the centre.[2]
Key stores in the Kingdom Centre include Dunnes, JJB Sports, Boots, Argos and New Look.
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The town centre was originally to be built on the same principles of the English new towns such as Stevenage and Bracknell. The centre would comprise a series of shopping streets and squares separated from traffic. The first phase of the Kingdom Centre was built as large modern pedestrian square. A large glazed roof and a modern fountain were incorporated as features in the design. The Golden Acorn Hotel, the town's Post Office and a bus turning circle were all included as part of the development. A Co-Op Department store opened in 1964 at the eastern entrance to the square and a town clock was built as a feature adjacent to the store.[3][4]
The design of the first phase had a number of problems and in 1976 a decision was taken to remove the glazed roof and the fountain and roof over the square at shop fascia height. The shopping centre was extended west to the point where Falkland Square is now. A Woolworths store (now Homebargains) was built to anchor the west end of the centre. A Presto supermarket (now Dunnes Stores) and the New Glenrothes House office block were built as later additions to the second phase.[3][4]
In 1982 a third phase was built extending the centre further west. The domed Unicorn Square was the principle feature of the third phase and Unicorn House, an office block with distinctive reflective glass, was built to the north of the development. A Gateway supermarket (now New Look, JJB Sports & Peacocks) anchored the third phase of the shopping centre when it opened.[3][4]
In 1993, with the winding up of the Glenrothes Development Corporation (GDC) on the horizon, a fourth phase was built. This was partially funded with a central government grant to aid in providing any last major projects for the new town. The fourth phase incorporated the Rothes Halls, a multi-purpose community facility with a cafe, theatre, library and conference facilities.[3][4][5]
A major feature of the fourth phase was the high-roofed and glazed Rothes Square complete with a hanging triangle clock, circular feature floor design and an alfresco cafe. A Somerfield supermarket (now Co-Op) anchored the fourth phase of the centre when it first opened.[3][4][5]
Shopping in Glenrothes is to be enhanced with proposals to expand the Kingdom Centre. A Tesco superstore is proposed at North Street as an expanision of the shopping mall.[6] An Action Plan is also being created for the long term renewal of the town centre by Fife Council in collaboration with other stakeholders. This outlines short and long term projects to enhance the built environment of the town centre and improve its usage.[2]
Kingdom Centre website [1] Fife Household Shoppers Survey [2]