Weatherspoon's launch fresh superpub bid for Dunfermline High Street

After 10 years of trying to gain a foothold in the city it"s understood the Watford-based company, known for it"s cheap drink and no frills approach, is in negotiations to buy the Guildhall.

The foundation stone for the building, at 79-83 High Street, was laid in 1807 and it has previously been the linen exchange, police station, county courthouse, the job centre and, perhaps importantly, a pub.

Many licensees had hoped Wetherspoon"s were also past history when the company abandoned plans in December last year to convert the St Andrew Erskine Church in Pilmuir Street into a pub.

Glasses were raised then as there were real fears that smaller operators, already struggling to cope with the recession, would call time if the superpub muscled into the local market.

But a spokesman for the company told the Press this week, 'Yes, Wetherspoon"s have come back to the town.

'There"s a site in the High Street and a company we"re in negotiations with to purchase the building.

'It"s not signed and sealed but we"re a long way down the line to purchasing it.' Wetherspoon"s wouldn"t confirm the property but it"s understood it is the former Job Centre site (above). The building is currently owned by Telereal Trillium, an investment, property and services company based in London, but they did not return calls before we went to press.

The Wetherspoon"s man added, 'We"re very interested but there"s no timescale at present. If and when it happens we"ll have more details we can give.' At the time, the pub giant said the empty church building would have been 'too expensive to develop' and blamed a problem over delivery access to the site. He said, 'It wasn"t a case of not wanting to be there and it was a shame we didn"t make it work.

'We"ve been keen on opening a pub in Dunfermline for a number of years.' Wetherspoon"s had agreed to buy the church if they received the relevant permission - planning and licensing - but it"s a much more pro-active approach this time.

'Sometimes they"ve not committed themselves to the building until all the permissions are in but they obviously see this as a very good site,' the spokesman said.

Norrie MacDonald, from the Creepy Wee pub in Maygate, said, 'I hadn"t heard about this but you hear rumours every few months that they"re buying this or that building.

'Everyone is affected by the recession and the trade is no different, it"s on and off.

'Any new pub coming in, the cake is still the same size so the share of customers just gets smaller.

'I don"t know what Fife Council think but all they want is the rates, they don"t care about businesses or how many pubs there are.' Dunfermline and West Fife MP Willie Rennie said, 'In Dunfermline there are still too many pubs.

'However, I"ve been learning more about the socially responsible role Wetherspoon"s have been playing in communities across the country.

'I want to meet with them to discuss their plans for Dunfermline to see if we can have a positive impact on those who drink too much over the course of a weekend.' Wetherspoon"s were interested in the old Robins cinema building in East Port in 2000 but another company turned it into Deja Vu nightclub and All Stars bar, which have since closed.

They received planning permission for a two-storey, £1.7 million pub, at the former Rejects store in Bridge Street.

It was to be called "The Winter Queen" but the move fell through and Belhaven stepped in and opened The Seven Kings instead. Wetherspoon"s received planning permission in April 2007, and a drinks licence thereafter, for the vacant church next to the Kingsgate Centre but finally pulled the plug in December 2008.

The 19th century Guildhall was designed by Archibald Elliot, built in 1807 and a spire added to the building in 1810-11.

The intention was that it would become the county headquarters of Fife but Cupar was chosen instead.

It became a police station and was the county courthouse until 1983.

A pub, Whisky Joes, was opened on the site before it became the job centre.