The former Freescale (Hyundai) semiconductor manufacturing facility at Halbeath Interchange near Dunfermline was fitted out in 1998 but never opened because the global market for microchips collapsed at that time.
Now the former Newcastle United chairman Freddy Shepherd is planning to redevelop the site.
Shepherd Offshore paid an undisclosed sum – tens of millions, it admits – for the150 acre site in November 2010. The vendor was Freescale, a subsidiary of Motorola.
At a ceremony to mark the start of demolition, Mr Shepherd brought along three MPs, including former prime minister Gordon Brown, to drum up interest in the planned redevelopment among prospective tenants.
Shepherd Offshore is working with Fife Council, Scottish Enterprise and Colliers International on a master plan for the site. The aspiration is that it will be home to businesses that support renewable energy and construction.
The main manufacturing building is being demolished because its specialised configuration limits any other use. An adjacent three-storey 65,915 sq ft office building will be retained and tenants are being sought.
Mr Shepherd said he hoped that “interest shown to date in the site will be converted to real project activity”.
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