Resort firm sued in pollution case

Andrew Murray-Watson, The Scotsman, 21 August 2000

Campaigners fighting a controversial golf resort in St Andrews have expressed their alarm at reports that the firm behind the development is being sued in America for environmental damage.

Chateau Elan, owned by Dr Don Panoz, is being taken to court in California for allegedly polluting water supplies in the town of Modesto.

A water watchdog has accused construction workers at the Diablo Grande resort of causing irreparable injury to fish, wildlife and other aquatic resources. If found guilty the firm could face fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Penny Uprichard, leader of the campaign against the St Andrews Bay resort, said: “It would be a great pity if the alleged environmental damage was reproduced in St Andrews.

“We already have a situation where one road has been destroyed, and planning conditions violated by a huge number of lorries thundering through residential areas.”

A recent petition of towns-people revealed the 99 per cent of those questioned wanted no more development.

The £50 million cliff-top resort, which covers 520 acres and includes a 209-bedroom hotel, two golf courses, a health spa and conference centre, has been dogged by controversy.

Opponents of the development, including Historic Scotland, say that it will lead to a ‘Disneyfication’ of St Andrews that would destroy the character of the town.

A spokesman for St Andrews Bay said no comparison with Diablo Grande could be made. “The lawsuit in America was a result of actions taken to clear a road of debris after a freak thunderstorm,” he said.