Golf plan departure hearings set for June

The Citizen, 7 May 1999

Special local departure hearings, organised by Fife Council to consider the three multi-million pound golf-related developments for land to the south and east of St Andrews, could be held in June.

That was made clear by the local authority’s Head of Planning, David Rae, during discussions involving St Andrews Community Council, at which he said that “consultation was a very important part of the process.”

He made it clear that the views of the people of St Andrews would be heeded over plans for the proposed developments at Kingask, Scooniehill and Feddinch.

The £50 million application for Kingask is for detailed proposals, while those at Scooniehill and Feddinch are outline applications.

Addressing the full council in St Andrews Burgh Chambers, Mr Rae stressed that he did not want to see St Andrews overrun by new developments.

Commenting on the decision by councillors to have the issues determined by members of the centrally-based Strategic Development Committee, he added, “This is not a case of Glenrothes versus St Andrews. I do not want St Andrews swamped and this will be avoided by proper planning.”

Mr Rae, who was accompanied by East Area Planning Manager Jim Birrell at the discussions with the community council, said that full consideration would be taken of all the studies available, including the St Andrews Strategic Study and the St Andrews Local Plan.

Concerns expressed by the community council over the position taken by the planning service of Fife Council over the hotel, conference arid golf courses’ package proposed for Kingask, on the outskirts of the town, gave rise to the talks.

Community councillors had claimed that a recommendation for approval of the project by council planning bosses had implications for the other wide range of golf-related projects currently waiting in the wings at that time.

They invited the planners to meet and discuss the relevance of consultations and studies - strategic, transportation, landscape and such like - to the planning process for the town.

Members raised several issues with the planning heads, with Mr Rae and Mr Birrell giving assurances that full consultations would take place. However, Mr Rae rejected calls for the strategic overview to be carried out by independent consultants, adding, “I am confident that the council has the professionals to do the job.”

Community Council Chairman, Dr Frank Riddell, said that it was the “management of change” which concerned them and the local people.

On the question of traffic impact - one of the major concerns of opponents of the developments - Mr Birrell explained that three independent traffic management consultants would be engaged to look at the situation. The surveys are to be carried out this month.

Mr Rae said that among the matters under review were transportation and traffic - which he described as “a tremendous issue” - economic impact, St Andrews’ landscape setting, tourism, design and scale.

On the question of why the final decisions on the applications had been removed from the local arena, Mr Rae said that while they would affect St Andrews as a settlement, they had implications for the whole of Fife.

Objections and other arguments will be heard during the departure. hearings, after which recommendations will be prepared by planning officials in the East Area.

All three projects will then be considered by the local Area Development Committee in Cupar.

Councillors will be able to express a view on the applications, although the final decisions will be made by the Central Strategic Development Committee in Glenrothes.

Mr Rae suggested that the whole issue was likely to be discussed at a special meeting of the Strategic Development Committee at the end of June.