Fife Council’s building standards team have been liaising with engineers since the fire to assess the best way forward and an exclusion zone remains in place around the site.

Now, having considered advice from specialist engineers and a demolition contractor, the decision has been taken that the building is in a dangerous state and complete demolition is the safest solution.

Tenants from four council flats immediately adjacent to the site have been evacuated and will be re-housed while the work is ongoing.

The exclusion zone around the site will be extended while the demolition work is underway to include the footpath on Bank Street at the front of the building. The shops in this area will be closed until the demolition is complete.

Garry Nicol, the council’s service manager for building standards and public safety, said: “We have a statutory duty to act if a building is dangerous.

“Engineers have confirmed that the former cinema building poses an immediate danger to the public. The building is unstable, so an exclusion zone will remain in place until the work is finished.

“The whole building will have to be demolished. It’s unfortunate that we won’t be able to save any part of it, but it’s simply not viable. Our priority must be public safety and the needs of the local residents and businesses.

“Demolition will start as soon as possible as this is a busy town centre location and a complex site. The work has been planned in three phases but the full extent of the damage and work required will only become clear as the work progresses.  This means that the scope of the work may change and there is a high level of uncertainty about timescales.

“Rest assured we will do all we can to carry out this work as quickly as possible to minimise disruption to residents and businesses. The safety of the public has to be our highest priority and we thank everyone affected for their patience while we make sure this building comes down as safely as possible.”