Office plan for Gateway Centre

The Citizen, 13 September 2002

The man charged with the seemingly difficult task of finding new businesses to fill the troubled Gateway Centre has admitted that the £2.5 million building could be transformed into prestigious office accommodation.

Alistair Todd, the Dundee-based agent for leading chartered surveyors, Graham Sibbald, has targeted companies associated with golfing enterprise in a bid to find quality tenants for the St Andrews landmark building.

The decision to diversify marks a change from the previous plans for the centre, which revolved around active golf participation but have been marked by severe financial difficulties.

Mr Todd said this week that he was confident the Gateway Centre was capable of attracting blue chip companies, and that recent flooding problems in the building would have a minimal effect on development plans.

“There are several interested parties currently involved and we are looking at the possibility of turning one floor into top quality office accommodation for companies associated with golf.

As a company, Graham Sibbald has only been involved with this development since April, but we are very enthusiastic about the future.

“It is very much the gateway to the town, and the park and ride facility makes the centre a very attractive proposition for a great number of firms.

“With the bar, restaurant, and the conference facilities, it is a first rate development. At the moment, it is a case of assembling the pieces of the jigsaw and finding quality clients.”

Mr Todd refused to put a deadline on the opening of the centre, which has been cursed by a series of financial disasters which has resulted in the building lying empty for years.

In 2000, then owners St Andrews International Ltd went into receivership, resulting in the non-completion of sections of the building.

Lack of adequate draining equipment is believed to be responsible for the flooding problems which recently struck the centre, but this was halted by the introduction of new water pump machinery.