Controversial holiday lodge plans rejected

Cheryl Wood, The Courier, 31 January 2008

Highly contentious plans to expand one of St Andrews’ biggest hotels with the building of 37 holiday lodges have been rejected.

Councillors on the north-east Fife area committee refused to back a recommendation by Fife Council planners that the lodges and development of a steading in the Fairmont St Andrews grounds be permitted.

The two and three-bedroom lodges, adjacent to the hotel’s main driveway, would have been sold to third parties but managed by the resort.

Redevelopment and extension of the steading would have created 20 holiday apartments, 14 suites, a public house, bistro, restaurant and spa.

However, the development at Kingask, which has attracted 45 letters of objection, had been likened to a supermarket, housing estate and even a motorway service station.

Development services manager Jim Birrell had recommended approval but the committee voted 10 members to two to reject the proposals which chairman Andrew Arbuckle described as a development too far.

Amid claims the scheme would be highly visible from golf courses and the West Sands, Councillor Donald Macgregor led the opposition, with his motion seconded by Councillor Frances Melville.

She said the expansion was even worse than the existing hotel, built amidst controversy several years ago.

Mr Macgregor said creation of the lodges, which were essentially houses, would be contrary to policy on housing in the countryside.

He also argued that the planning application should be turned down on the grounds of being premature pending agreement on the local plan, inappropriate design, over-development, over provision of housing and impact on the landscape.

Concerns were also voiced about the water supply.

A bid to see the expansion approved was made by Councillor Tim Brett, who said the new building would not be visible from the main road, backed by Councillor Bryan Poole.

Mr Birrell defended the scheme against claims the lodges would be ugly, with the developer attempting to screen them with trees.

Assurance in the conclusion to his report that the development would only be visible from within the hotel grounds once screening was in place was contradicted in another part of the report which said it would be visible from the coastal path, and he conceded the latter was true.

Mr Birrell further admitted an inaccuracy in his report regarding ownership of the existing hotel, which is managed by Canadian Fairmont Hotels and Resorts but owned by US-based Apollo Real Estate, and misinformation about the water supply.

The report said work had begun on a water main project in the area in December, but in fact agreement is still be sought from the land owners before it can go ahead.

It was also pointed out the improvements by Scottish Water took into account only the existing hotel and not the expansion.