The Scottish Government is to rule on plans for four modern houses in the grounds of a gothic-style St Andrews hotel.
Councillors said the contemporary proposal did not fit with the buildings at Kinburn Hotel, known locally as Kinburn Castle.
But developer CAF Properties has now appealed against the planning refusal.
They say last month’s decision was contrary to clear professional advice.
And they add: “The three reasons for refusal are, respectfully, without merit.”
The application before Fife Council’s north east planning committee was CAF Properties’ second bid to build at Kinburn, which features battlements, corner towers and turrets.
They amended their original “brutal” plan for six flats, turned down by the same committee in 2020.
Fears over St Andrews conservation area and extra traffic
Councillors voted against the new plan by five votes to four, going against a planning officer’s recommendation.
They ruled the modern design would have an adverse impact on the listed building’s setting, character and historical integrity.
And they said it would also affect St Andrews conservation area.
Their third reason related to fears around extra traffic exiting onto Doubledykes Road.
A spokesperson for the developer say the reasons given were “just not justified”.
“The appeal proposals comprise a very high quality, small scale, contemporary-style residential development,” they said.
And they insisted most of the building would be hidden behind a boundary wall.
Previous Kinburn Castle scheme was ‘more brutal’
Fife Council planning officer Alistair Hamilton told councillors at the meeting: “The previous scheme was much larger and, in some respects, more brutal.”
However, he said the developer had taken on board a lot of comments made four years ago.
And he said the new St Andrews scheme was “much more considerate of the gap between the heavily Gothic-inspired Kinburn Castle and the more restrained classic buildings on the other side.”
But councillors ruled the access to the site was “shocking”.
And they said: “It doesn’t seem to fit at all with the other surrounding buildings or the conservation area.”
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