A Fife community group has outlined its plans to take over a historic hotel that has been closed for more than five years.
North Queensferry Community Trust has applied for a community buy-out of The Albert Hotel, which shut in March 2017.
However, those plans would depend on current owner Kenny Waugh being willing to sell the hotel.
Last week, Mr Waugh outlined his plans to reopen the listed building as a bar and reconfigure former hotel rooms to create four luxury suites.
It is his latest bid to transform the Albert Hotel. Proposals to turn the hotel into flats were turned down by Fife Council lasr year. An appeal was also rejected earlier this year.
Now, the trust has nominated The Albert Community Group – a not-for-profit company formed by a group of residents – to buy the building.
Bid for hotel to become community hub
Jane Hesketh is secretary of the North Queensferry Community Trust, which held a public meeting last weekend to outline its plans.
She said: “We can nominate a third party purchaser and that’s what we’re planning to do.
“The community ballot is coming up and we’ve got to get more than 50% of the community to vote.
“We believe it is important it is a community hub – not just a bar, but somewhere that is for the community and brings people together.”
Ms Hesketh said the current owner’s plan is very similar to the proposals that were turned down by Fife Council.
More than 120 people attended a public meeting, organised by the trust, on Saturday to discuss their proposals for the former hotel.
“We haven’t seen the actual plans, but it sounds very similar,” she said.
“It’s going to be flats at the top and a basement bar. Who wants to come and sit by the sea in a basement? There’s a lot of scepticism about that.”
She said the community buy-out process has come after fruitless discussions with Mr Waugh.
“We came together and said we could work together. After a lot of looking at the plans, we felt the portion he was willing to offer us really wasn’t viable.
“That’s why we’re carrying on with the application.”
Local residents will be sent ballot papers by the local authority and these should be returned by May 3.
The ballot proposal is that the building should be purchased and restored as a sustainable development to serve the community.
Owner’s plans for £400k investment
She said the hotel is the “heart and soul” of the village.
Mr Waugh did not respond to The Courier’s request for comment.
However last week he outlined plans to invest £400,000 to the Albert Hotel.
He hopes if the work is given the go-ahead, the premises could be back open in a year’s time.
The historic Fife hotel was originally called Mitchell’s Inn, after the owner Robert Mitchell.
Its name was changed in honour of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s arrival at the town pier in 1842.
Conversation