A project to convert unused office space at Cupar County Buildings into social housing is now underway.

The Fife Council development will consist of 8 one-bedroom flats, all of which will be conversions, and 10 two-bedroom flats - two of which will be conversions and eight will be within a new extension at the back of the building.

Cllr Judy Hamilton, executive spokesperson for housing & building services, who recently visited the site, said: “This development is an important project for the council. It allows us to provide much needed modern housing whilst restoring and preserving a key listed building in the Cupar conservation area.

“I’m sure it will build on the success of our housing development at West Port which was completed in 2013 and regenerated a piece of disused land on the former Bell Baxter High School site.”

The County Buildings forms a key part of St Catherine Street, which was designed in 1810 as the formal entrance to Cupar and is an excellent example of a planned Georgian development in Fife.

To complement the £3.2 million investment in the building by Fife Council and the Scottish Government, the Heritage Lottery Fund is providing £40,000 grant support to this project as part of the wider Cupar Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) and Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) programme funded jointly by Historic Scotland and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

This additional funding will ensure a high standard of conservation repairs, including the repair and draught-proofing of the existing sash-and-case windows. Stone repairs will be carried out to the housing section of the frontage and the whole façade of County Buildings will be redecorated as part of a larger maintenance project.

Cllr Hamilton added: “Although conversions, these new homes will still have energy efficient features including new thermal insulation to the inside of the external walls and the roof space. They will also be fitted with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery units and domestic sprinklers.

“Over 900 of the Affordable Housing Programme’s 2,700 new homes are now complete. I look forward to visiting County Buildings again to welcome tenants to their lovely new homes in the heart of the town.”

Work to repair or reinstate traditional details to shop fronts at ground level along the same side of St Catherine Street will be encouraged through a Small Grants Scheme as part of the Historic Scotland and Heritage Lottery funded CARS/THI programme. This has the aim of restoring the historic character of this grand palace frontage which is a significant part of the Cupar conservation area.