MORE than 120 people gathered at the public meeting to discuss plans for a community buy-out of the village's Albert Hotel.

At the meeting, which was held in the community centre on Saturday, Lin Collis, a director of the North Queensferry Community Trust, explained that they were applying for a community buy-out of the almost 200 year old hotel.

The trust plan to nominate the Albert Community Group Ltd to purchase and restore it on behalf of the community.

North Queensferry Community Trust and The Albert Community Group's case for a community buy-out lies in what they believe is the importance of 'The Albert' to the sustainability of the community.

They feel that running it as a pub and hub would benefit the local economy, complementing the existing Rankin's Cafe and Wee Restaurant and provide employment and a boost to tourism.

Dunfermline Press: North Queensferry residents gathered at the public meeting to discuss the future of the Albert Hotel. North Queensferry residents gathered at the public meeting to discuss the future of the Albert Hotel. (Image: North Queensferry Community Trust)

At the meeting, Alastair Ritchie, a director of both North Queensferry Community Trust and The Albert Community Group Ltd, described the history of The Albert, telling of Queen Victoria's visit with Prince Albert and the subsequent renaming of the pub, and how it was a favourite of the late Dunfermline-born author Iain Banks.

Alastair went on to explain that The Albert Community Group Ltd, a not-for-profit company formed by North Queensferry residents, could seek funding from bodies such as the Scottish Land Fund, Heritage Enterprise Scotland, Lottery Heritage Fund and could also run a Community Share Scheme.

He underlined the fact that a 'Community Right to Buy process' doesn't mean that any individual member of has to contribute. Since 2020 the law has allowed recognised community bodies to apply to the Scottish Ministers for the right to buy properties for sustainable community development.

The legislation also permits community bodies to nominate a third party to acquire the land which is the subject of the purchase but in order to be accepted a Community Right to Buy Part 5 application requires evidence of majority community support in a secret ballot in which more than one half of the electorate has voted.

Ballot papers are being sent out this week by Fife Council to North Queensferry residents that are eligible to vote for return by Wednesday, May 3. The ballot proposal is that the building should be purchased and restored as a sustainable development to serve the community.

At the end of the meeting, villagers discussed the proposed plans of the Albert Hotel owner Kenny Waugh, who wants to restore the building and reopen it as a hotel, bar and restaurant, and will be seek planning permission to move the bar into the basement.

Last week he told the Press: "We tried to change it to residential, but we got refused planning on the grounds that North Queensferry would be losing a local pub and restaurant and they didn't want the village to lose that. So we've come up with new plans.

"The bar and restaurant are on the ground floor with the kitchen and toilets down the stairs at basement level, but for that to work nowadays it really all needs to be on the same level, so we've decided that we'll apply for planning to move the bar into the basement. By putting it in the basement it makes it a lot bigger, and we can have the bar, restaurant and beer terrace all at the one level.

"That also provides us with disabled access to the downstairs with a lift down, and disabled toilets. Upstairs are eight bedrooms that we're converting into four suits which will be five-star bedroom suites suitable for big families or groups of golfers."

These adjustments are a key element of his business plan. He feels that this new layout would make it much easier to staff and would reduce staff costs.

He continued: "It just works for us on ground level. With rising staff costs, you can't have your bar on one level, your kitchen on another and the restaurant in a different room. It all needs to be controlled with one set of staff instead of two or three sets. All costs are rising so we've had to adapt it and it works."

However, The Albert Community Group say that they have consulted with a restoration architect, a surveyor and an experienced publican to address the practicalities of the proposed basement bar, and they have concluded that attempts to run a bar in the basement will not be successful for many reasons.

They believe that the space in the basement is inadequate for the installation of a bar, kitchen, toilets, disabled toilets, storage, heating and ventilation facilities, that natural light is limited to the east side of the basement and that dealing with fire regulations, goods in and waste disposal will be complicated by having only one access point.

Councillor David Barratt has backed the community bid for the purchase of the Albert Hotel.

He told the Press: "The existing owner has had their chance, they have failed both the community and the building and it's time for the community to take it over.

"I think he has had ample opportunity to make a success out of that building and he has just failed miserably."

The Press approached the owner, Kenny Waugh, for comment on the community bid but he did not respond at the time of print.