A CAFE in Culross that's been closed for a year could re-open under a new owner.

Mrs Laura Wilson, of Dundonald Guest House in the village, has plans for a 113-year-old, category C-listed building at the Mercat Cross on Tanhouse Brae.

It was the former Rankin's Cafe, run by Derek and Sue Rankin, which closed just over a year ago.

Mrs Wilson has applied to Fife Council for listed building consent for alterations, including the relocation of the toilet and kitchen, formation of shop floor area, erection of traditional hand painted signage and a new decorative gate.

If approved it will operate as The Mercat, a cafe with a small shop at the back of the property.

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Rankin's Cafe in Culross closed a year ago, in September 2023. Rankin's Cafe in Culross closed a year ago, in September 2023. (Image: Google Maps) In September 2023, a post from Derek, Sue, Hannah and the Culross team thanked all their customers and announced that "with deep regret" the Rankin's Cafe was to close.

It went on: "This was an extremely hard decision to make but the current financial climate has had a big impact on all small businesses, we are no exception."

Their cafe in North Queensferry remains open.

Previous plans for the Culross site have proved controversial.

Back in September 2021, the then local Conservative councillor, Mino Manekshaw, had threatened to quit over the council's decision to grant permission for plans to convert the cafe into a one-bedroom flat.

He said it “beggars belief” and showed that planners were failing to listen to locals who opposed the bid staunchly.

Mr Rankin, who at the time was recovering from a horrific accident that happened outside the cafe, when he was crushed between a van and a wall, managed to clear up any confusion and had explained to the Press that it did not mean the cafe would close.

After five tenants in five years, the owner had decided to sell and applied for a change of use, with the planning process underway before Mr Rankin managed to persuade him to give him a lease until October 2025.

Matters changed a year ago but with the new application a cafe could now be back on the menu for Culross.