First hints emerge of new golf venture

The Courier, 19 May 2000

Two major landowners have joined forces to kick-start plans for yet another golf-related development just outside St Andrews.

It was revealed yesterday that "approaches from golfing interests" had led to the submission of plans for a massive 650-acre site wets of the town, some of it opposite the existing links.

The news came from the Cupar-based planning consultant Des Montgomery, who said that an application was being lodged with Fife Council's east area planning officials.

He said that his firm was acting for Strathtyrum and Fossoway Farms, and W J Cuthill & Co, in relation to the change of use of agricultural land.

The area involves ground at Balgove, Easter Kincaple and Northbank farms, and runs beside and to the south of the main western approach to the town.

Mr Montgomery said that the application was for outline consent only, but the area was likely to accommodate two new 18-hole courses.

He said that the courses would "extend the facilities for golfing visitors to St Andrews" and that they could provide a boost to the green area around the town.

At this stage, he said, no information was available regarding the details of the development of the courses, and he added that "at the moment" there were no proposals for any built development.

Mr Montgomery said that the area of the application was in the ownership of adjoining proprietors and they had acted after receiving approached from a number of golfing interests.

The applicants only wanted to establish the principle and he would expect planning officials to ask for more information if the principle was considered satisfactory.

In recent times there has been intensive debate over golf-related developments in and around St Andrews.

A £50 million resort complex is now well under construction on a coastal site at Kingask and a decision is expected in the near future on plans for a £25 million golf course and luxury accommodation scheme at Scooniehill.

Plans for another major site, at Feddinch, were submitted then withdrawn last year and it is not yet clear whether they will resurface.

Also on the lookout for land for a new 18-hole golf course is St Andrews Links Trust, which is seeing play on the existing courses at near-saturation level.

The trust has considered four or five possible sites and would prefer to have a new course located as close to the existing ones as possible.

Yesterday a spokesman said that the trust was no further forward in its quest than it had been a year ago, but the trust's objective was to cope with extra local demand.

The trust wanted, he said, to provide facilities for existing links ticket holders at no extra cost and if any new course could help meet that need, there would be obvious benefits.