Much has happened since hundreds of people – businesses, organisations and community groups – fed into the Cupar Food Station Outline Business Case last year.
The aspiration – driven by Cupar Development Trust and supported by multiple community partners and stakeholders – looked to create a food-focused hub in the former Argos building on Ferguson Square.
The ambition?
Primarily, to find a new home for a re-imagined food bank and community larder supported and enabled by a food & drink destination together with food-related businesses and social enterprises, including a training kitchen.
Those plans – more than two years in development to last July – were thwarted when the property owner withdrew support for the initiative.
Since then? The Trust has not stood still. Far from it.
In August we were made aware that Fife Council was exploring the future ownership of County Buildings and the 1.44 acre site between St Catherine Street and Waterend Road: the majority of the site is shown below.
Discussion with Fife Council began that month and progressed through the remainder of 2025, looking at the viability of community ownership.
Strategic Review?
Working with officers, supported by Development Trust Association Scotland and members of our working group, we proposed a Strategic Review, the results of which would enable the Trust to consider a Community Asset Transfer application which, if successful, would put the County Buildings site into community ownership.
In January, senior officers requested a Paper from the Trust to outline the Strategic Review proposal – a paper that will be presented to the Council’s cabinet next month (April 2026).
In support of our Community Action Plan (2023), Youth Charette (2023), Local Place Plan (2024) and the Food Station Outline Business Case (2025), officers requested further demonstration of community support for our plans – specific to the Review.
Community support …
Conscious of the shrinking timetable to submit our Paper, the Trust called a meeting of community groups in the last week of January.
With less than a week’s notice, representatives from almost a fifth of the town’s community groups attended the event in County Buildings.
A short presentation from the Trust’s Chair, James Hair, introduced Tom Morton of Arc Architects – a member of the Food Station working group – who talked through how the Strategic Review would work.
The County Hall (above) – one of the listed parts of the County Buildings site in Cupar.
A Q&A session followed. Unanimous support was given not only by all those present at the end of the event but also from those who’d sent apologies.
The Trust has applied for funding and hopes Fife Council will match-fund to enable the Strategic Review to commence at the earliest opportunity … all subject to funding and a tender process. If the go ahead is given by the Cabinet and funding is in place, we expect the Review to run for 12 months. It is a very substantial piece of work that will consider all eventualities for the site and make recommendations on completion for the Trust’s consideration.
If that is to pursue a Community Asset Transfer, that legislative process is likely to take a further 18 months and will be subject to the Trust accessing and securing significant funds. We already know this will be required to address the site’s properties for a sustainable and viable future – all with community benefit at the project’s heart.
Much has happened since last summer. We continue to build on the work of so many volunteers who have given their time since 2022 to drive this exciting initiative.
We will share more once it is known.
Need more?
If anyone has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via our Development Officer using this email link.
Thank you for reading.
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