Villagers fight to save historic pub after Scots Gov rejects community buy-out (2025)

The Albert Hotel sits in an iconic position beneath the Forth Bridge but has lain empty since 2017.

Villagers have vowed to fight on to save an historic pub after their bid for a community buy-out was rejected by the Scottish Government.

The Albert Hotel in North Queensferry once counted well-known Scots like Iain Banks as regulars but has lain empty since 2017.

The listed building in Fife sits in an iconic position beneath the Forth Bridge and is frequently pictured on social media sites like Instagram.

A local campaign was launched to take control of the privately-owned Albert, which led to an application in 2023 for consent to exercise the right to buy the pub under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016.

But there was dismay last month when the Scottish Government rejected the bid, with civil servants finding the business plan did not stack up.

Iain Mitchell, chair of the Save the Albert campaign, said an appeal had now been lodged.

"The Trustees have carefully considered the Ministers’ decision and have a identified a number of procedural and substantive errors both in the process and the decision itself," he said.

"We are going to exercise our right to take an Appeal to the Sheriff. The fight to save the Albert continues."

Another local told the Record: "The village has never been busier with tourists but there is no pub to serve them.

"There is an obvious demand for a well-run bar. It seems strange the Scottish Government doesn't recognise that.

"The Albert is a landmark building. It was once the centre of the community and it should be again."

The historic boozer is currently owned by the Festival Inns Limited SSAS pension fund, controlled by the Edinburgh-based hospitality tycoon Kenny Waugh.

A previous application to convert the building, which dates from 1824, into flats was rejected by Fife Council following more than 100 objections.

Waugh previously floated the idea of opening a small bar in the basement of the Albert, which some locals believe would not be sustainable.

A spokesman for the businessman welcomed the Scottish Government's decision to reject the community bid, which they branded "uneconomic".

They said plans were now in place to reopen a bar onsite - but the work required had been held-up as a result of the community application.

Waugh's representative called on locals to drop their campaign for ownership.

They told the Record: "Progress could not be made while the Community Trustees applied to the Government, as no bank would lend money for the upgrade.

"The North Queensferry Community Trust had applied for Government funding, but their plans were found unsustainable and their proposal to nominate the Albert Community Group Ltd, a private company, to own the property was no guarantee of its continued community use.

"The owners hope to put the delays of the past behind them if Trustees will accept the Government decision - and hopefully the planners will now see the value in a simpler set up to be delivered quickly, and much more likely to succeed on a commercial basis for the long term good of the village."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Community ownership has been a vital support to many areas across Scotland and is an investment in tackling depopulation, providing crucial facilities, and giving people more power and a stake in the land where they live and work.

"Our support – whether funding, advice, or greater legal powers – is helping meet the different needs of urban and rural communities seeking to acquire land and assets that contribute benefit those who live there with each application judged on its own merits.

"It would be inappropriate to comment on an individual case while an appeal is pending."

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