A POPULAR pub in the centre of Irvine looks to have closed its doors for good - after the owners said the long-established hostelry "did not have a sustainable future".

Admiral Taverns are now preparing to put the Crown Inn in the High Street on the market for sale.

They closed the Crown last month, boarding up the entrance, after the former tenant gave up the leasehold.

Hopes remained high that the pub would soon reopen, with the leasehold to the premises being advertised by Admiral.

READ MORE: Shutters come down on Irvine's Crown Inn - for a second time

But just a month on, the company have confirmed they are now putting the building on the market.

A spokesperson for Admiral Taverns told the Times: "We are strong believers in the importance of community pubs and our focus is always on helping our licensees to run sustainable pub businesses.

"After careful consideration, however, we felt in this instance that The Crown Inn did not have a long-term sustainable future and therefore we’ve taken the decision to put the pub up for sale."

The Crown - a fixture of Irvine's High Street since the 1800s - previously closed in 2020 after another former tenant relinquished the lease.

That time, it reopened a few weeks later under new management.

Staff at the pub had high hopes that the same thing would happen again.

READ MORE: Crown Inn's owners launch search for new tenant after sudden closure

Last month, a source at the bar told the Times: "I believe the Crown will reopen in time.

"The current lease was handed back to the brewery as the building requires a lot of work, with the roof leaking and being very run down."

But the future of the Crown building as a pub now looks very uncertain indeed.