Major development plan for green belt

Tom Chadwick, The Citizen, 20 September 2002

Plans for a massive development which could include 1,000 houses and two new golf courses on the West side of St Andrews will be submitted to Fife Council by the end of October.

If the plans were to go ahead, it would be the biggest development in the town in recent history - the two golf courses would be 137 hectares and the mixed-use development would. be 86 hectares.

Headon Developments Building Contractors and Property Developers say the plans will include land for future university expansion - specifically a research centre as well as economic development and housing along with education, healthcare and recreational facilities.

The plans would also involve a relief road being built to link the A91 St Andrews to Cupar Road to the Craigtoun Road, in an attempt to ease congestion in the town centre.

Additionally, the proposal will include two 18-hole golf courses on land at Northbank and Strathtyrum on the outskirts of St Andrews.

Joe Headon, managing director of Headon Developments said that the new courses would be "aimed at satisfying the increased demand for golf in St Andrews from the local community and beyond."

Mr Headon went on: “The plans allow St Andrews to plan for long term growth and development, providing solutions to many of the difficulties currently being experienced in the housing market, education, healthcare, economic development and infrastructure.”

He stressed that the proposal was not aimed at accelerating the growth of the town but was a long term proposal aimed at providing a solution to many of the difficulties being experienced in the housing market.

Mr Headon added: “This proposal will take up to 30 years to develop with the University development plan up to 100 years. This equates to just over 30 houses per annum over all the price ranges.”

Although he could not put a fixed price on any houses at this stage, he said they would range from “affordable” to “luxury accommodation.”

Mr Headon continued: “We accept that St Andrews is to have a Green Belt but the Green Belt boundaries must reflect a balance between containment and urban growth. If you accept that St Andrews will grow, provision has to be made to allow this.”

Nick Bryan, Fife Council’s team leader for development and control said: “This is an extremely sensitive planning application. The area in question lies in the green belt, in that it is outside the town’s boundaries and, therefore, countryside issues will prevail.”

He said that the plan would have to be considered very carefully since it was such a major development. This would mean taking into account the Local Plan, Structure Plan and Green Belt issues.

St Andrews West Councillor, Frances Melville had previously said: “Clearly, the news of a potential application for significant development on the western edges of St Andrews will have been met with some anxiety and surprise by townspeople and the wider community.”

She added: “In the event of Fife Council receiving this application, its content will have to be carefully assessed against the council’s criteria for determining whether such applications be dealt with by the East Area Development Committee in Cupar or the Environmental Development Committee at Glenrothes, as any such application may have local and significant strategic and policy implications.”

No-one from St Andrews Preservation Trust wished to make any comment until the plans were formally submitted.