Byzantian Developments Revise Proposals for Walmer Drive Project
Byzantian Developments has updated its plans for a new housing project on Walmer Drive in Dunfermline after previous proposals faced challenges
Dunfermline, Scotland, Byzantian Developments, Walmer Drive, Housing, Architecture
Dunfermline: Byzantian Developments first pitched their plans back in 2022. They wanted to tear down a listed building on Walmer Drive that’s been sitting empty for over ten years and put up 42 new apartments instead.
The place was already falling apart and attracting trouble when a fire hit the old council office in summer 2023. This led to the plans being pulled last November, but now they’re back with a fresh proposal.
Their planning agent, Fraser / Livingstone Architects, shared that they’ve submitted updated designs for new homes on this abandoned site right in the city center.
The old building used to be a Fife Council office and has been vacant for years, now in pretty bad shape.
When the earlier plans were moving through the approval process, that fire caused even more damage, collapsing roofs and upper floors.
They’ve got a vision for 37 new homes on this steep, south-facing site, which is located in the city’s historic conservation area.
They plan to keep the walls of the original C-listed villa as a nod to the past while creating a new entry court with landscaped terraces and parking.
The design features three bronze-clad pavilions on a tiered base, with apartments that offer stunning views south towards the Forth Bridges, aiming to bring people back to the heart of Dunfermline.
There’s even a glimpse of what the view might look like from Commercial School Lane.
Previous attempts to redevelop the site were turned down in 2020. Two Knights Developments had proposed a £3.3 million plan to convert the old offices into nine homes and add a new five-story block with 18 more flats, but the council thought it was too much.
Fast forward two years, and Byzantian stepped in. They’re known for transforming the old Dunlop factory into the Linen Quarter, which now has nice new apartments and shops in the city center.
Initially, they wanted to demolish the listed building and replace it with five-story blocks for 42 apartments. They argued that the villa had been so altered and damaged that it wasn’t worth saving.