The future of closure-threatened St Andrews Botanic Garden has been secured, following the establishment of a charitable Garden Trust that will lease the garden directly from St Andrews University.
The announcement follows the development of a business model that is supported by all parties involved with the garden and which aims to bring the garden to a sustainable financial footing by 2018.
Jean Stewart, chairwoman of the new Garden Trust, confirmed the trust would pay the university a peppercorn rent.
She said: “This is an important milestone for the garden, and one towards which many people have worked long and hard.
“The Garden Trust will work alongside Fife Council over the course of the summer, with a view to taking over the running of the garden in October 2014.”
First on the list of public projects will be the installation of a long-awaited cafe and children’s play area near the main entrance to the garden.
This year it will be open from June to October, working towards year-round opening within a few years’ time.
“This is part of a strategy to develop new income streams to ensure viability and, by extension, increase the footfall to the garden.
Grant Ward, head of Fife Council’s leisure and cultural services, said: “Fife Council has been closely involved with the setting up of the Garden Trust and we will continue to provide help and advice to ensure the successful establishment of the new organisation.
“Our priority is to support the trust and existing staff during the transition.”
The university has offered an initial five-year lease to the Garden Trust, with a review scheduled after three years of successful operation, to discuss a longer-term arrangement. It is hoped the lease will be signed in the next few weeks.
St Andrews University director of communications Niall Scott said: “This is a very welcome development.
“We are delighted that the trust is to accept the offer which the University Court made in June and look forward to leasing the garden directly to the Garden Trust.
“We will be looking at ways that we can continue to support and be involved with the widely-acclaimed education programme.”
Friends of St Andrews Botanic Garden chairman Robin Waterston said: “The Friends have been fully engaged with this process and we are pleased that a viable way forward has been agreed by the parties.
“We look forward to working with the new Garden Trust and will continue to contribute to the volunteer effort, which will be pivotal in helping the project to succeed.”
The Garden Trust is recruiting for the new post of garden director.
The development follows years of uncertainty over the future of the St Andrews Botanic Garden. The 25-year management lease under which Fife Council has run the garden has come to an end.
In addition, budget constraints compel the council to taper down, over five years, its current core funding of. £300,000 per annum to £150,000 per annum by the 2018-19 financial year.
St Andrews University no longer has any academic need for the garden and does not have the resources to take on its future management.
St Andrews Botanic Garden was founded in 1889 by St Andrews University and has developed on its present site since 1960. A renowned collection of some 8,000 species has been acquired.