Views are sought over golf plan

Gordon Berry, The Courier, 29 November 2001

Developers behind the latest plans for major golf and leisure related development around St Andrews yesterday said that they had already acted on suggestions made by the local community council.

Now, in advance of planning consent being sought for the £15 million development, the company wants anyone else with comments or advice to make contact.

The unusual suggestion has been made by the St Andrews International Golf Club, which yesterday sought to explain the 'rationale' behind its decision to re-enter the planning process with the Feddinch Mains application.

The company was refused consent for a more extensive site at nearby Scooniehill following a debate which went to a public inquiry.

Yesterday the developers said that the a ready received calls from people asking why they were targeting a fresh site, and that they now wanted to explain their position.

Company secretary Alistair Doig said that the Reporter who refused their appeal had fundamental concerns about visual impact, and had determined that the project would contravene a number of development plan policies.

It was therefore logical, he said, to suggest that provided an alternative development elsewhere was consistent with development plan policy, consent should be granted.

“We are advised that similar development based at Feddinch would be much less sensitive, and likely to be in accordance with the development plan.

“A number of factors influenced selection of the Feddinch site. Firstly, the site, although smaller than Scooniehill provides an adequate area of land. Secondly, it does not enjoy a prominence over St Andrews, and is not visible from any public place in the town. Factors such as intervisibility and visual impact are accordingly not significant.”

Thirdly, said Mr Doig, the clubhouse - with 50 accommodation suites and a fitness centre - would fit comfortably into the existing steading footprint.

Mr Doig said that the site of the proposed clubhouse at Feddinch is not visible from within St Andrews and is only visible from a few sections of the A915. It, therefore, could not be argued, as was the case with Scooniehill, that clubhouse position would represent visually intrusive and inappropriate development.

He went on to claim that many people would accept that new courses around St Andrews are a considerable improvement in terms of visual impact.

Given particularly that the proposed clubhouse at Feddinch would fit the steading footprint and not be visually intrusive, said Mr Doig, it would be very difficult to argue that the development as a whole would have a detrimental effect.

It would be equally difficult, he said, to sustain any claim that the proposal would contravene policy which indicated a presumption against all development in the green belt where there was intervisibility between the site and the town.

Irreversible loss of land would be no more than 6 acres - only 1.62% of the total area - said Mr Doig, and traffic impact was being reassessed by the use of worst case assumptions much more extreme than were previously employed.

In this context, since accommodation had been reduced by 30%, a sizeable reduction in traffic impact could be assumed.

With regard to Reporter’s comments that the development would not materially assist in lengthening the tourist season, Mr Doig highlighted the introduction of a new category of associate membership which would ensure use from November to the end of April.

He added that several suggestions were made at the recent Cameron Community Council meeting with the result that undertakings have been given to repair the A915 culvert, to relocate unsightly electricity lines underground, and take account of access, safety, noise and landscaping concerns.

“The development team is firmly of the view that the facility would likely be a worthwhile investment, would provide socioeconomic benefits through the employment of some 85 full-time equivalent jobs, and would enhance the reputation of St Andrews as the home of golf.

“Proposals are now being formulated to create, in the first phase, the north course, practice area, car park, green-keepers’ store, and clubhouse, and in the second phase, the south course.

“Before submission of the planning application and in order that, wherever possible, criticisms, concerns and suggestions can be embraced within the master-plan, it is hoped that all parties with comments and advice will make contact.”