The group behind ambitious plans to restore a Kirkcaldy landmark has reached its first fundraising target.
King’s Theatre Kirkcaldy has achieved its initial £8,000 target to renovate the historic building on the town’s High Street.
The group wants to transform the former cinema into a world-class music and entertainment venue, but will require substantial funding to do so.
An initial target of £8,000 had been set for Sunday, a sum achieved through a crowdfunding webpage.
Though The Courier could not contact anyone from the group, a post on its Facebook pagethanked those who donated and said preliminary work could now be undertaken.
“With your help, we can now pay for an in depth structural report, a full building survey, an evaluation survey, and planning pre-application,” the statement said.
“We will also continue to fundraise in the new year, with lots of special events planned.”
The building has remained empty since closing as a cinema in 2000.
The initial priority of the King’s Theatre group is to make the premises watertight, with fears that further exposure to the elements could jeopardise its long-term viability.
Drone footage taken from inside the complex has shown the scale of the work required to seal the building, for which around £30,000 will be required.
Fundraisers initially teased their plans on social media before unveiling them formally in September.
There has been significant support from the public for the proposals, and these have been bolstered further with a conditional £3,000 boost from the Architectural Heritage Fund.
Originally opened as the King’s Theatre in 1904, the building at the High Street’s east end first became a cinema in 1928.
Despite changing hands on several occasions, it remained Kirkcaldy’s main picture house until the lights went down permanently in December 2000.
During its lifetime it was also known as the Opera House and the Regal Cinema.
A plan to transform the building into a nightclub was rejected back in 2004 and it has remained vacant since.