MAYBE, just maybe, after eight and a half years of Cowdenbeath being plagued by the remnants of the Crown Hotel we might see something happening in 2018.

The decision by Cowdenbeath Area Committee to order a feasibility study into how a Compulsory Purchase Order can be made on the site of the burnt out building could come up with the answer that everyone has been wanting.

Since that fire midway through 2009 the dilapidated structure has dominated one of the busiest roads into the High Street area.

Over the years councillors, MSPs and MPs have tried to get the owners of the site to show some willingness to get the mess sorted.

However, there has been no result and the hulk has remained dominating the north end of High Street.

If the Tesco development had happened at North End Park possibly the whole situation would have been sorted by now but of course it did not.

There are still plans in the pipeline for what is not a nice looking site now with the former football pitch totally overgrown.

There are proposals to build two retail units on the site and that will made a difference to it but still the Crown sits there.

Hopefully in 2018 that will all change.