Councillors reject Madras College Pipeland proposal

North East Fife councillors have narrowly rejected a proposal by Fife Council to build a desperately needed new Madras College on a site at Pipeland on the southern hillside of St Andrews.

After a two-hour and 40-minute debate on Thursday the planning application in principle was rejected by seven votes to six.

Councillors Tim Brett, Donald Lothian, Frances Melville, Bryan Poole, Maggie Taylor and Brian Thomson voted in favour of the recommendation for approval.

However, Councillors David MacDiarmid, Bill Connor, John Docherty, Andy Heer, Donald Macgregor, Keith McCartney and Dorothea Morrison voted against it.Have councillors got it right? Have your say in the comments below or email kirkcaldy@thecourier.co.ukThe special meeting of Fife Council’s north east planning committee was held in St Andrews Town Hall.

The refusal recommendation will now go for consideration and determination by the full Fife Council on April 3.

See below for coverage of the debate as it happened. And see Friday’s Fife edition of The Courier for further analysis of what today’s decision is likely to mean for schoolchildren in the area.