Councillor airs concerns at ever vacant Gateway

Gordon Berry, The Courier, 20 May 2003

A St Andrews councillor has expressed her increasing concern that the imposing Gateway building at the western entrance to St Andrews is still empty three years after its completion.

The issue has been raised by St Andrews West and Strathkinness member Frances Melville, whose ward contains the property built with great ambition and fanfare, but now felt by many people to be a white elephant.

The councillor is now to write to the University of St Andrews and the Dundee-based owners of the building in an attempt to prompt some action and she also intends to contact Scottish Enterprise Fife for its views on the situation.

The Gateway was to have provided the base for an exclusive private club aimed at the overseas market, together with leisure facilities and a prestigious first port of call and museum for the university, which owns the land on which it was built.

It soon became clear, however, that the club concept was flawed and the whole enterprise eventually came apart after a fund-raising drive in the USA came up with only a fraction of the money being sought in membership fees.

There was then a period of uncertainty which was followed by the sale of the property by receivers to Dundee-based Keiller Estates and the claim that it was to be occupied by an enterprise called St Andrews Golf Holdings.

Although the building had been erected at a cost of around £9 million, it was sold for a fraction of that price to Keiller Estates.

Working along with technology firm Alcatel, St Andrews Golf Holdings was to provide a call centre, conference centre and various leisure facilities - but once again the anticipated entry date In the middle of last summer came and went without any sign of action.

Yesterday Councillor Melville said that she was deeply concerned over the whole issue and she added that the presence of the empty building did no service to anyone.

She said that she had asked the university about the situation and had always been told that “something might be happening,” and she said that the issue had also been raised at the last meeting of the community council.

Councillor Melville said she would be contacting the university again and would also be in touch with the owners in Dundee to check what progress had been made towards finding occupants. She said that Scottish Enterprise Fife had also expressed interest in the Gateway to St Andrews and she would also be in contact with the body.

“There was great opposition in the town when planning permission was granted but a lot of people felt afterwards that the building itself had turned out to be quite impressive.

“Having it now sitting empty is not good for a major international destination or the university and it presents a poor image for the many thousands of visitors who come here every year.

“There must be something which can be done on such an ideal site, which has adjacent parking and Is close to the golf courses. It could be a very good venue for welcoming visitors and providing a reception area and orientation centre.”

The university, which transferred the 99-year site lease to Keiller Estates, has always maintained that its financial position has been safeguarded. When the sale to Keiller Estates was announced the university said the conditions replicated those that had applied to the original tenants.