Conservationists drive St Andrews scheme deep into rough

Jason Nisse, Business, Independent on Sunday, 9 January 2000

The £50m plan by US drugs, wine and leisure tycoon Don Panoz to build a golf, hotel and conference complex north of St Andrews faces a legal challenge this week.

Campaigners against the development, at Kingask in St Andrews Bay, claim that Fife council has breached its own planning guidelines in approving the project.

The Review Funding Association, a body drawing together opponents of the project, have hired Lord Mackay of Drumadoon, QC, to represent them in a request for a judicial review to be heard before the Court of Sessions on Wednesday.

They will point to opposition from Scottish Natural Heritage and the rejection of a similar plan in the St Andrews area by Fife council in the past.

Work, however, has already started at Kingask, where two golf courses, hotel, tennis centre and conference hall are to be built.

The project is backed by Mr Panoz, who made his money from Elan Pharmaceutical, the Irish group, and has backed a winery and resort complexes in Georgia and California.

A spokesman for Mr Panoz said the project met planning requirements and protected areas of special scientific interest. It would create 750 jobs.