Green light for new cafe and education facility at Fife's Craigtoun Country Park

The Friends of Craigtoun have been granted approval to transform an existing building at the park near St Andrews into a new cafe with outdoor seating and an education facility.

On Wednesday, Fife’s North East Planning Committee approved plans to refurbish the existing staff and visitor buildings on site and to demolish an obsolete, unsafe and condemned glasshouse.

After clarifying that the designs will not significantly impact on the local road network and residents, committee members unanimously rubber stamped the plans from the Friends of Craigtoun charity.

“I think this is a very welcome development if it’s allowed to go ahead,” Councillor Robin Lawson (Conservative for St Andrews) said.

Craigtoun already boasts a range of activities and there are a number of buildings at the park that are already in use – including a cafe kiosk and ticket office. However, Friends of Craigtoun say the current cafe isn’t really fit for purpose and the new cafe will be able to provide more value for visitors than the current facilities.

“The existing cafe is a small space with the main kitchen disconnected which is not functional to carry out efficient service,” a design and planning statement said. “There is no internal seating arrangement which is disadvantageous to attract customers. The kiosk hatch and entrance to the cafe is lacklustre and not overly welcoming.”

The application garnered nine public objections from people who were concerned about the development’s impact on road safety. However, Transportation Department managers do not consider there will be “any significant increase in impacts on the road” due to the development.

Developers have also pledged to use small scale construction vehicles to reduce the impact on the road, and transport managers are happy with the arrangements.

“Fife Council’s Transport Development Management team have raised no objections to this proposal. They consider it to be a refurbishment of an existing facility with no likely increase in vehicle traffic numbers anticipated given the size would be no larger. The access route would remain as existing as visitors would continue to use the public car park facility,” the committee recommendation stated.

The proposals include the refurbishment and change of use of the existing building to form a cafe with outdoor seating and an educational training facility. This will involve the demolition of the glasshouse and existing building extension. The plans also involve the replacement and refurbishment of doors and windows around the property.

On the south side of the building, three new arched doors have been approved to provide an outdoor seating area for the cafe. Internally the building will be reconfigured to provide an education room in the western end, with a café and staff counter in the central section with kitchen and recycling area in the eastern section.

The proposed café opening hours are from 9am-9pm.