Opponents of a proposed multi-million-pound golf and leisure development near St Andrews say they hope to take their concerns to Fife councillors in person later this month as they seek to uncover the facts behind the application’s history.
Question marks remain over the planned golf course and clubhouse at Feddinch Mains specifically in relation to when work commenced on site, as the planning consent which is now being proceeded with is dependent on that point.
Locals fighting the plans believe that planning procedures have not been properly followed and feel their worries have been consistently ignored, even suggesting that the developers do not have planning permission for the golf course because “unlawful development” has already taken place.
Earlier this year Fife Council was forced to apologise for the way it dealt with the proposals after shortcomings were revealed in an internal investigation into the affair although the council’s standards and audit committee was told the golf course could still go ahead, provided a financial bond aimed at safeguarding the council’s position is handed over.
However, the Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council still has serious reservations about the history of the plans and is determined to see the issue of the date development commenced, among other issues, bottomed out once and for all.
A spokesman for the community council’s planning committee said members were keen to address councillors directly at the forthcoming north-east Fife area committee meeting on August 24 and are hopeful they will be given ample opportunity to speak their mind.
“We repeat our request for an independent planning investigation into this matter, which has been going on since 2002,” he said.
“Officials seem to be bending all the rules in their efforts to support this development, despite its extremely questionable financial record, the change in the economic situation since 2002 and the public perception that it has been handled in an inappropriate and possibly improper manner.”
If members of the community are given the chance to speak at this month’s committee meeting it will be the latest chapter in a lengthy and increasingly complex planning saga.
The site, which extends to 244 acres, was acquired by Scotia Investments which has established the St Andrews International Private Members Golf Club Limited (SAIGC), through which it will develop, fund and manage the Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course and the clubhouse.
At one stage the council said an access road built from the A915 at the Feddinch site had been unauthorised and that seemed to leave the plans dead in the water.
Indeed, north-east area committee councillors appeared to end any hopes of the project coming to fruition by voting narrowly to reject an application for a time extension in April last year, saying that continued uncertainty surrounding the development could not continue.
However, in August the council’s top legal official then performed something of a U-turn by revealing the access had been legally started this after Scotia challenged the committee’s refusal.
A planning application for the construction of the clubhouse is now expected to be submitted within weeks and the developers have claimed that the council’s planning department has “expressed their acceptance” of the principle issues of building in the green belt, with the “determining factor” likely to be the design of the building.
The community council has supported comments made by Councillor Robin Waterston, who has described the project as “highly controversial” and raised his own serious outstanding questions about the planning history of the golf course application.
“At its meeting on May 11 north-east Fife area committee members expressed significant concerns about the handling of the various applications for this project over the years,” said Mr Waterston.
“It it important to be clear that there is no approval for the principle of a clubhouse on this site and obtaining permission will not be a formality.
“To proceed with the construction of a golf course in the hope of eventual approval of the clubhouse would be a very high-risk strategy. It would run the risk of appearing to have a lack of respect for proper process regarding planning applications.”