Coffee kiosk plans for St Andrews walled garden refused


Greyfriars Garden coffee kiosk plans have been rejected in St Andrews with one local councillor calling it “inappropriate” for the area.
Optimus Fiduciaries wanted to open a coffee kiosk within the walled garden that would operate from 8am-9pm April to October, and from 9am-6pm November to March.
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Hide AdThe Isle of Man-based financial services company wanted to serve hot drinks and reheat only foods such as pastries, sandwiches and cakes from a converted horsebox kiosk in central St Andrews.
“The proposal regenerates a site that has been disused for years,” a planning statement argued.
“The site was cleared in 2009 but over the years has become overgrown. Unfortunately, with no associated use or supervision, the land has become an area subject to the dumping of rubbish.”
However, planning councillors were unconvinced.
Councillor Robin Lawson (Conservative for St Andrews) said the site is “currently overgrown because the current owner neglects the site” and he was concerned that the gap in the ancient wall is not wide enough to allow the kiosk to be rolled into the garden.
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Hide Ad“Above all, I think this is a very unfortunate application and I think it’s inappropriate for this area,” he said.
Other councillors seemed to agree.
Although planning officers recommended the proposals for approval, not a single councillor on the committee offered to champion the plans.
Instead, Cllr Lawson moved to refuse them in the interest of protecting the character and appearance of the surrounding historic environment.
He said the plans would be moving “people and equipment onto an area which has undoubted archaeological interest”.
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Hide AdAdditionally, he said there’s “no question of additional need” with “about ten coffee shops within 250 yards” of the garden – though that’s not strictly a planning consideration.
“We’ve lost enough of our historic infrastructure in St Andrews throughout the centuries, let’s not make it any worse,” Councillor Jane Ann Liston (Lib-Dem for St Andrews) added.
It’s not the first time Optimus Fiduciaries has been denied planning permission for development at Greyfriars Garden.
A couple of years ago, the company attempted to get permission for an outdoor seating area and two larger food shacks. Those plans were deemed too large and disruptive for the site, prompting developers to return with smaller scale plans.
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Hide AdHowever, the current application is further complicated by a separate planning application from the local Poets’ Neuk group to turn Greyfriars into a public poetry garden.
“The application site is the location of the chapel of the mediaeval Greyfriars Monastery, an important site in Mediaeval times,” planning papers stated.
“This neglected garden will be turned into a poetry garden reflecting its history and its connection with Mary Queen of Scots who gifted the church lands to town and people at the time of the reformation. It will feature Poems on plaques by and about Mary and roses in cultivation in Mary’s time. The garden will provide a quiet green space in the busy town centre.”
Fife Council has approved that separate application, and in May, Poets’ Neuk was granted permission for a compulsory purchase of the garden from Optimus Fiduciaries.
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Hide AdThe decision came directly from Scottish ministers and it will force the financial company to sell the land unless they win an appeal lodged at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Regardless of the outcome of that compulsory purchase decision, North East Fife councillors unanimously decided to turn down the coffee kiosk plans.
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