Plans unveiled to turn rare books shop in Fife into family home

The business previously run by Mair Wilkes on the town's Tay’s St Mary’s Lane has been closed for approximately two years, and sat vacant ever since.,

The property was recently purchased by Mr Sean Farran and he is now seeking permission from Fife Council to convert the old bookshop into a family home.

He wants to change the property’s planning class from retail to residential, and add rooflights, a staircase, a kitchen, a bathroom, and remove the existing porch extension from the outside of the property.

“It is proposed to convert the vacant bookshop to a residential dwelling,” a planning statement said. “It is likely that the property was once residential and it sits just adjacent to the shops on Cupar Road and is not part of the established area of shops.”

The building is not listed but does lie within the Newport on Tay conservation area.

The proposed work involves “very little” external alteration, and simply brings the property back into use as a house with the installation of a bathroom, kitchen and staircase.

Developers say the existing porch must also be removed to create a landing. This is necessary to comply with current building regulations. As an added benefit, removing the porch will reveal an existing panelled front door which “is an attractive feature of the property.”

The planning authority will consider the application and make a decision in due course.