St Andrews revolts over re-brand

Kurt Bayer, Scotland on Sunday, 28 November 2004

One of Scotland’s most famous and attractive towns is in open revolt over a money-spinning re-branding plan aimed at packing even more tourists into its already crowded streets.

Under the proposals, the Fife community, known across the globe as the Home of Golf, has been transformed into St Andrews World Class in the hope of luring increasing numbers of rich travellers.

The glamorous presence of Prince William has already raised St Andrews’ international profile to unprecedented levels.

By marketing the town as world class, it is hoped well-heeled globetrotters might add St Andrews to places such as Venice, Palm Springs and Hawaii on their list of dream destinations.

But residents of the town claim the local council, government agencies and big firms behind the plan are "exploiting" St Andrews and "bleeding" the famous seaside town dry to fill the region’s coffers.

One of the most controversial aspects of the plan is for the "environmental improvement" of St Andrews, including chopping down dozens of lime trees planted in the 19th century, and cutting the amount of parking by half.

Every year, the St Andrews tourist trade generates about £50m for the local economy. About 300,000 visitors drop in to the tourist board office in the picturesque town every year. Unofficial figures put the total number of annual visitors at more than 700,000.

The St Andrews World Class scheme has 33 members, including Fife Council, Fife Enterprise, St Andrews Tourist Board, St Andrews Bay Hotel, the university, other businesses and "leading organisations".

They insist they are acting in the best interests of the town, but admit the organisation was set up as an "economic initiative" and that realising the town’s potential is "vital" for the wider Fife economy.

On its website - www.standrewsworldclass.com - it states: "St Andrews is a key economic driver for the prosperity of Fife as a whole." The group aims to market the town as a brand and "develop a clear vision of how the private sector wants St Andrews developed".

One St Andrews World Class proposal involves spending £750,000 on changes to South Street - situated between Bell Street and Church Street. The 126-year-old lime trees that line the street would be chopped down to allow footpaths to be widened.

Locals are also angry at plans to change the car-parking plan from a space-managed diagonal system to parallel parking, which will cut the number of available bays by at least half, putting pressure on the already limited space.

Last night, long-time local resident Jenny Hopgood hit out at the "crazy" scheme as well as the "total lack" of public consultation.

She said: "The people of St Andrews resent all of these grand plans from this horribly named group. They have not consulted a single soul and are making bold plans for everyone.

"With residents, students and visitors all vying for space in the town, it has put a great strain on resources, and it cannot cope. It is a historic town and that is part of its charm. We don’t want it to become any busier than it already is. It would be a disaster."

Brian Rogers, owner of the St Andrews Garden Centre on South Street, last week handed a 1,000-name petition to local councillor Bill Sangster outlining residents’ objections.

Rogers, 60, has spent his entire life in and around St Andrews. He is a member of the town’s Merchants’ Association and runs a central garden centre, as well as a landscaping company, employing more than 40 local people.

But he believes that if St Andrews World Class has its way, he will be forced to close his thriving business.

He said: "The small businesses in St Andrews are already struggling with ridiculously high rates and rents. We rely on people coming into the town, and if they close it off to cars or restrict the numbers, many firms will die, it is that simple."

Resident Penny Uprichard said she spoke for "a huge slice" of the community who were opposed to St Andrews World Class. She said: "They are interested in nothing but making more money for themselves.

"It is not up to Fife Council to increase hotel prices and so the only way for them to generate more tourism revenue is to get more tourists in numbers - but we simply can’t take any more.

"The council prioritises tourists over taxpayers every time. It has been a tourist town for years and will remain so, but the council are just getting so greedy and want more money."

However, St Andrews World Class believes that the ‘home of golf’ faces a multimillion-pound loss in tourism revenues if it is allowed to continue at the same rate of underachievement.

The group claims that an "effectively implemented action plan" could increase revenue by £23m and create more than 1,000 jobs across Fife.

Ann Murray-Smith, of Rufflets Country House Hotel, emphasised private sector support for the aims of St Andrews World Class.

She said: "We must offer a product that is attractive to all types of visitor. Realising the World Class vision means St Andrews must be about more than golf."

The chairman of Scottish Enterprise Fife, Fred Bowden, revealed that the organisation had been working to develop the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service to "capitalise" on the St Andrews name on behalf of both Fife and Scottish companies.

Chief executive Joe Noble added: "St Andrews is a prime example of how Scottish Enterprise can intervene to progress a coordinated approach, which capitalises on the town’s unique reputation."