Former Kirkcaldy pub set for new lease of life more than two years after closing

The St Clair Tavern served its last pint in March 2021 and was subsequently bought by the local authority in October of that year, but it has remained boarded up since then.

The council paid £240,000 with plans to convert the bar into a community space with flats above. The pub’s C-listed status and issues with asbestos have meant those plans are only now coming to the fore.

Alan Hall, business change manager at Fife Council, said: "The plan is to convert it into three different two to three bed properties, with the former bar area being converted into a community space which can be hired for meetings and community events. This is a complex project due to the age of the building, the necessary removal of asbestos, the current layout, and its classification as a C-listed building, which have required warrants and planning consent to ensure that the key features of the exiting building are retained as far as possible.

"Final designs should be completed within the next few weeks which will allow us to go out to tender. Once this process has been completed we should be able to confirm a start date for the works."

The building at the foot of St Clair Street dates back to 1870 , and was a popular place for a pint with generations of local people. It was run for 30 years by the Crombie family led by Moss, Moss, his wife, Senga, and son, Trevor.

They bought it off brewer, Wm Younger in 1991, but Moss grew up in the licensed trade. His grandfather ran the Strathearn Hotel, and he ran pubs in Africa where he spent 18 years before returning to Fife. Working as a plumber, it was Peter Hussain, who ran the Windsor Hotel, who got him back into the licensed trade.

The St Clair Tavern was a regulars’ pub but its function room hosted many events as well as becoming a meeting point for a number of groups.