New salvo fired in Kingask war of words

The Courier, 23 February 1999

Another salvo has been fired in the row over the rejected £50 million hotel and golf development at Kingask - this time by independent North East Fife Scottish parliament candidate Donald Macgregor.

He felt recent accusations by Fife Council transport spokeswoman Helen Eadie were “fierce and unjustified” and should not have been aimed at the east area development committee.

Mrs Eadie, who was not at the meeting, suggested that the committee, with mainly Lib-Dem members, had pre-decided the application. Her comments have been widely condemned by many community leaders, including councillors who unsuccessfully voted for the Kingask project.

Of her attack on committee chairman Peter Douglas, Mr. Macgregor said, “I... regard her intervention as quite wrong and in fact damaging to the public perception of the administration. The problem lies with the planning process and not with individual councillors who have to take a considered decision based on the evidence.”

He also defended the committee over another planning application. After North East Fife SNP convener Bob Harper claimed that a planning application in Cellardyke faced an uncertain future following the committee’s decision to continue the matter for three weeks, Mr Macgregor said such attempts to put pressure on councillors helped no one.

The multi-million-pound leisure, healthcare and residential Windmill Project planned by the Fife-based J.W. Muir Group has been continued in a bid to allow agreement to be reached over when the private housing element of the scheme can start.

Mr Macgregor said, “The legal position is it is up to the development committee to consider the report put to it by planning officials, consider all aspects of the argument and then reach a considered decision. The committee is fully entitled to continue an application.

“It is hard to believe that three weeks’ delay for such a major project constitutes an uncertain future.

“In my experience of mixed developments, the developer is always keen to have the part which brings in high returns built early. But the committee has to decide on the net benefit to the community and should not be rushed.”