Angry words as South Street plans rejected

Rosemary Dewar, The Citizen, 14 January 2005

Councillors have rejected controversial plans for a £1.35m re-development of South Street.

While members of Fife Council's east area development committee agreed it could have been an excellent scheme, there were strong words for the way the ''PR disaster'' had been handled.

Since plans were revealed for the partnership project, involving Fife Council, Scottish Enterprise Fife and others in the St Andrews World Class Initiative - which later conceded it got involved prematurely - feelings have been running high in the town.

Included in the proposed work to the footway and carriageway between Bell Street and Church Street are resurfacing and widening of pavements. Street furniture, bollards, seats and cycle racks, a new bus shelter, felling most of the lime trees - four of which are healthy - and replanting new, semi-mature, trees are also planned.

Principal planner Elspeth Cook recommended approval of the application, submitted by Scottish Enterprise Fife and in which Fife Council has a financial interest.

St Andrews town centre councillor, Bill Sangster, said the public should have been involved ''right from the start'' over a publicly-funded project which involved the lives and livelihoods of so many in St Andrews.

Detailing a list of objections and suggesting a number of solutions, he said free-flowing traffic and safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists must be achieved for the viability and sustainability of St Andrews. Until public transport services met the needs of the community, he urged parking spaces be left as they were.

St Andrews councillor Jane Ann Liston said there was a ''lot of good'' in the application though there had been misunderstanding about was was intended.

She moved approval, provided the four healthy trees were retained and the community noticeboard in South Street was left alone.

Moving refusal, East Neuk councillor Mike Scott-Hayward said the whole process had been ''totally chaotic'' and that no formal decision had been taken on it by elected councillors, even though Fife Council 's transportation service was involved.

"The public needs to know that we, as councillors, haven't had our say,'' he stressed, attacking the ''gang of modernisers who are visiting this nonsense on us.''

He added: "Decisions about this have been made without council authority. That is where the whole chaotic thing starts.''

There was applause from the public benches when his motion was seconded by committee chair, St Andrews councillor Frances Melville.

She said the South Street proposal and current plans to upgrade Market Street should be added into the area Transportation Plan, with high-profile consultation carried out.

Head of the development service, Keith Winter, accepted councillors comments and feelings of ''being de-barred'' from discussions.

The application was refused by 13 votes to three.