Major renovation plans could give former Fife hotel a new lease of life if approved

The Albert Hotel, North Queensferry. (Pic: Fife Council planning papers)

A historic hotel could undergo major renovations to bring it back into public use if Fife Council approves the latest plans.

McLaren Murdoch & Hamilton Ltd submitted a planning application on behalf of Festival Inns SAAS to “provide a new lease of life to the existing listed building”. If approved, the plans would bring the hotel back into operation and back into public use as a bar and restaurant.

The Albert Hotel has stood watch over North Queensferry’s Main Street since the early 19th century, and it predates the Forth Bridge by a few decades.

Now, however, developers say the building is in serious disrepair. The former nine bedroom hotel, bar and restaurant has become infested with wood rot and is not safe for use as it stands.

“The hotel business has become unviable and wood rot caused by damp has resulted in the need to remove the bar and some of the existing floor and beams on the ground floor on safety grounds,” developers said in a design statement. “A photographic survey of the existing building interior was carried out in January 2022, and the interior is in poor condition with little historic features still present.”

The proposals include alterations to the existing hotel building to form a new bar and restaurant area on the lower ground floor and enlarged hotel suites to the upper floors. The new bar and restaurant space will provide an accessible entrance to the public and make full use of the outdoor terrace which benefits from views over the Firth of Forth estuary and the Forth Bridge.

In a separate planning application, developers have asked for permission to replace the windows and door openings in addition to creating new set of external steps and an associated access lift. The renovations will also “protect the building fabric”, preventing further water damage.

If approved, the renovations would transform “a currently empty and unused property in disrepair at the heart of a small town into a potential vibrant bar/restaurant and well used hotel suites,” according to developers. The statement continued: “In effect, the alterations of this property will once again allow this historic building in the heart of North Queensferry to be safeguarded for future generations and utilised for public use as well as hotel guests.”

Fife Council will consider the application and make a decision in due course.