Gateway plan is well under way

Gordon Berry, The Courier, 31 May 1999

Work has now begun in earnest on the new £8.1 million “Gateway” development which will stand on a prominent site at the entrance to St Andrews.

It was revealed at the weekend that the site has now been fully mobilised and that the company behind the scheme, St Andrews International Ltd., has earmarked May of next year - well in advance of the millennium Open on the Old Course - for completion of construction.

Yesterday company spokesman Jeremy Grieve spoke enthusiastically about a project he said would bring a new dimension for visitors to the town.

The spectacular building at the North Haugh is to have a wide range of facilities which, said Mr Grieve, might persuade people visiting the town to “stay a bit longer and spend a hit more money.”

Included in the scheme will be a museum and exhibition telling the St Andrews Story together with a 300-person conference facility, lecture theatre, cafe, and shop.

There will also be an exhibition featuring some of the priceless artefacts in the possession of the university, many of which have never before been open to public gaze.

Also in the building will be sports and leisure facilities, and a further exhibition relating to golf.

On top of all that the Gateway will house a Home of Golf lounge, dining facilities and a full library.

Planning consent for the scheme on land owned by the university was granted in February after the application had a tricky passage through Fife Council’s planning processes, and St Andrews International is working in close partnership with the university. Mr Grieve said that excavations for the main building were now well under way and that during the construction phase up to 200 jobs would be created on the site.

He added that a mix of local and specialist contractors was being used, and that actual building work was expected to begin next month.

The finished product, said Mr Grieve, would provide facilities currently lacking for many visitors to St Andrews outwith the confines of their hotels.

He said that the theme would be one of relaxation, with an “club atmosphere” providing quality dining and leisure facilities.

There was the opportunity, he said, for good year-round business, with the May to October period concentrating on visitors to the town and the rest of the year focusing more on the university and its visitors, such as academics, parents, and conference delegates.

“St Andrews has a large number of international visitors and the town must recognise that it has to look after them. Their needs will only increase in the new millennium, and we have to anticipate in advance what they want.

“At the moment many people come out of their hotels and walk around the town in an hour. We are providing something that will give added value to their stay.

“If you take tourism out of St Andrews you take the guts right out of the town. We believe in this project,” he said.