THINGS are definitely looking up in Cowdenbeath.

The SUSTRANS project, at the south end of High Street, has made a huge difference to the ambience of the south end of the shopping hub, while at the north end one of the stores at the new retail park is open with the other to follow in the new year.

And even the news on the blight that is the Crown Hotel building is better with high hopes that this can be upgraded in the not too distant future.

So the concerns expressed about the future of the iconic Town House building are definitely worries that should be taken seriously.

This has been part of Cowdenbeath's history throughout the 20th century, when the town grew in size as the coal industry saw pits surround it and the economy boomed.

However, a few years back Fife Council moved its base to Brunton House from the Town House, and since then it has been empty.

There is funding available to make the future secure but the wheels have to be put in motion to create this for the building which has dominated the north end for decades.

It is a large building with a huge car park in the relative centre of Cowdenbeath so you would think that the way ahead should be bright.

But unless the funding package is utilised by early in the New Year it could be lost to the town and £400,000 is something that Cowdenbeath can ill afford to lose.

Is it too much to hope for that the improvements at both ends of the High Street can be matched by an upgraded Crown Hotel and a fully utilised and preserved Town House?

You would like to think not and if these two elements are achieved it will indeed complete Cowdenbeath's complete new look.

2020 could be the year that everything is in place to make this all happen.