Westfield partners Hargreaves Land and Brockwell Energy have joined forces to support the development of a new Scout facility in Fife.

Earlier this year, Fife Council gave the 4th Fife Cardenden Scout Group the green light to forge ahead with plans for a new facility on farmland opposite St Ninian’s Primary School on Orebank Road.

In 2019 the old Scout Hall on Cardenden Road was damaged beyond repair by a devastating fire. The site of the burnt-out hall was not suitable for a new development due to potential flood risk, as well as a lack of off-road parking.

The Scout Group explored multiple options and towards the end of 2022 a plot of land located opposite St Ninian’s Primary School was identified for a new hall. Planning permission was granted in April 2023.

Unfortunately, the Scouts were the victims of spiralling build costs and consequently found themselves several thousand pounds short of their target to fund the new development. After reaching out to Hargreaves Land, it was not long before a joint donation with Brockwell Energy was in place to help support the project.

Hargreaves Land is currently working with Brockwell Energy at Westfield in Fife where a new Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) is under construction. The plant will utilise up to 240,000 tonnes of waste previously destined for landfill to generate electricity which will feed the local grid network and produce heat for energy intensive businesses who choose to locate on Westfield. Brockwell is also developing a 30 MW solar array on 100 acres of land at Westfield that will feed into a battery storage facility.

These energy generation uses form part of the Westfield masterplan to remediate and bring the former surface mine site back into productive use. Hargreaves Land has recently completed the first phase of infrastructure works having invested significantly in the site to bring 45 acres of serviced and platformed development plots to the market. Further investment in the site will be undertaken in the coming months to enhance the onsite path networks working closely with local communities.

Ross MacDonald, Senior Development Surveyor at Hargreaves Land, said: “Together with Brockwell Energy, we are delighted to be able help the Scouts achieve their target. They have recently appointed a contractor to construct the new building and we look forward to seeing the project commence in 2024.”