Green light for St Andrews luxury 96-bed hotel branded 'not bonny'
Plans for an £18million luxury hotel in St Andrews have got the go-ahead, by the narrowest of margins.
Councillors approved The Scotsman Group’s planning application to turn a listed building in a conservation area into a 96-bed “world class hospitality venue” by just one vote.
The hotel plan for the former Gibson House Care Home in Argyle Street came before Fife Council’s north east planning committee this week.
It still has one hurdle to overcome after councillors raised concerns over the lack of parking with the development having just six parking spaces. It plans to offer guests valet parking elsewhere in town
Councillor Ann Verner (St Andrews, SNP), moved refusal, and : “I wholeheartedly do not agree with a 96 bed hotel. I am concerned about this application
“Parking frightens the hell out of me as a local. In the summer, it is at capacity before lunchtime. For the owner to promise they can go elsewhere - you can promise what you want, but you cannot guarantee you can provide it.”
A mooted four-storey extension also drew criticism given its location within the town’s conservation area.
Councillor David McDiarmid (Howe of Fife and Tay Coast , SNP) noted that Historic Environment Scotland, St Andrews Community Council and Fife Council’s own transportation and built heritage services - a stance he described as “a red flag.”
“I cannot remember in 19 years four main players making objections,” he said.
He also criticised the design as “not bonny.”
“I am depressed at architecture in Edinburgh where things are demolished and replaced with Lego blocks. St Andrews is the jewel in the crown of Fife and this hotel is going to be right in the centre of a conservation area, it is not the bonniest. “We have some of the most famous architecture in the world and are going to replace it with this - the importance of it being in a conservation area has not been taken into account.
“We are told ‘we need 96 beds or we can’t do it’ - - when it comes down to a developer telling us what it needs to do, that is wrong.”
He backed a motion to refuse permission, but the committee voted 6-5 to approve it.
A report to councillors said the application “represented a finely balanced proposal.”
It noted: “It would involve a substantial redevelopment of a prominent Category B listed building within the Central St Andrews Conservation Area, including extensions of significantly greater scale than those existing, a material shortfall in on-site parking provision, and impacts on residential amenity.
“These concerns, including those raised by Historic Environment Scotland, local residents and internal consultees, are fully recognised and carry considerable weight, particularly given the sensitivity of the surrounding historic and residential context. However, when assessed in the round, the proposal would secure the viable reuse and long term future of a vacant building remove 53 unsympathetic later extensions, and deliver a form of development that aligns with the development plan, notably in relation to town centre reuse, tourism and the efficient use of previously developed land.
On balance, and notwithstanding the acknowledged issues, the development is considered to represent an opportunity for positive change.”
Approval was given subject to a legal agreement with the developer to secure off-site car parking to provide a valet parking service.