Council may take action on Kingask

The Courier, 18 Feb 2000

Fife Council is set to take the Kingask developers to court unless they abide by an agreement restricting the number of movements of heavy lorries in the St Andrews area.

Stunned members of the local authority heard yesterday that a survey carried out last Friday had revealed more than five times the agreed number of vehicles entering and leaving the site on a single day.

The St Andrews Bay Development Company was recently given permission to increase the number of HGV movements to an average of 20 a day and to vary the route without increasing lorry journeys in the town’s Lamond Drive.

But councillors heard yesterday that the section 75 agreement was being continually broken, and local member Frances Melville claimed that the credibility of the council was at stake.

Telling the regular meeting of the authority that the developers were "still not complying", Bill Brand, the chair of strategic development, stated bluntly, "We have prepared court proceedings to serve on the developers if this not brought to a conclusion as a matter of urgency."

Councillor Melville said the issue was of great concern to the local community, who had monitored 46 heavy lorries going into the site on Tuesday and a further 54 on Wednesday.

Councillor Brand continued, "We have clearly said to the developers that they must bring things into line and control their sub-contractors and ensure the movement of traffic complies with the section 75 agreement.

"We are ready to take court action," he said.

The councillor told the meeting that a survey carried out on February 11 had revealed 104 lorries using the site entrance (60 in and 44 out) and 83 using Lamond Drive (35 in and 48 out).

Councillor Andrew Arbuckle said, "With these figures in mind I think we have to have an urgent timescale (regarding court action) because of the blatant disregard they have for section 75."

Convener John MacDougall said he had written to the head of the company to express the authority’s "grave concern" and had requested an immediate reply.

"I do not believe he is aware of what is going on. I have had great co-operation from him in the past and it’s a matter of how the sub-contractors are behaving."

Councillor Elizabeth Riches said, "Fife Council is being made a monkey out of this.

"Our credibility is at stake. This company is dealing with the third largest council in Scotland and is running rings around us."