Several members of St Andrews Community Council have demanded to know if the latest delay to the planning application for a new Madras College at Pipeland will require a new period of consultation to be launched.
Planning committee member Penny Uprichard and community council chairman Howard Greenwell, who object to the Pipeland proposal, quizzed St Andrews Fife councillors after it emerged a potential flood risk at Pipeland has delayed the application and its consideration by Fife Council’s north east planning committee.
Confirming that unanswered questions about a flood risk were the reason for the delay, Fife councillor Dorothea Morrison said: “I don’t know if there will be a further consultation but I do know that is the reason why it has been delayed.”
St Andrews Fife councillor Frances Melville, who is also the chairman of the north east planning committee, said: “It would not be right and proper to take it until all the questions have been answered. I assumed it was October but that’s all I’ve heard.”
She added that she would find out from Fife Council officers if a further period of consultation would be required in the event of fresh information emerging.
As reported by The Courier on Wednesday, a detailed planning proposal for the school, earmarked for the greenbelt land at Pipeland, had been expected to go before Fife Council’s north east planning committee, which will meet in Cupar next week.
However, it has been confirmed a decision has been deferred until October or November because a Fife Council consultant believes there is “insufficient information to determine whether the proposals meet the requirements of Fife Council in terms of flood risk”.
Among the council department’s fears are concerns that construction of the school on the Pipeland site could even lead to flooding of the nearby St Andrews Community Hospital.
Fife Council said it was confident all matters will be resolved satisfactorily, allowing the Pipeland application to proceed.