Concerns about a potential flood risk at the proposed site of a new Madras College in St Andrews have led to Fife Council delaying a decision on the planning application, The Courier can reveal.
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 meets 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.
A report from council consultants Watermans states: “The micro drainage model indicates flooding will occur from the drainage system during a one in 1,000-year event.
“The adjacent hospital building and car parking is noted to be at a lower level than the proposed site. Please provide evidence to demonstrate that potential overland flows from the site will be routed away from the adjacent hospital site.”
A submission to Fife Council planners from Iain Smith, of the harbours, flood and coast section of Fife Council’s structural services, also calls for clarification on a number of issues, including drainage strategy and concern about groundwater levels at the east of the site.
Fife Council said it was confident all matters will be resolved satisfactorily, allowing the Pipeland application to proceed.
But anti-Pipeland campaigners see the move as an embarrassing blow to the council, which is locked in battle with three former teachers who have gone ahead with their decision to lodge a legal challenge against Fife Council’s granting of planning permission in principle for a new £40 million Madras College at Pipeland.
St Andrews Environmental Protection Association Limited (Stepal), whose named directors are former Madras rector Lindsay Matheson and former teachers Mary Jack and Sandra Thomson, have formally lodged a petition for a judicial review with the Court of Session.
The court has set the first hearing for December 3.
The judicial reviewers believe Fife Council failed to act in a “fair and impartial” manner when it disregarded what they believe was a far more suitable site owned by the university at North Haugh. The so-called pond site at North Haugh has already been ruled out by the council amid flooding fears.
Robin Presswood, head of enterprise, planning and protective service with Fife Council, said: “A consultation response has been prepared by the council’s harbours, flood and coast unit. It addresses drainage issues as part of a consultation on the detailed design of the drainage infrastructure at the Pipeland site.
“It’s one of a number of technical consultations carried out to ensure the details of the proposed development are acceptable before a recommendation is made to members. Such consultations are a normal part of the assessment of an application of this scale. The applicant has been asked to provide more information and I anticipate that once the due process is completed, all matters will be resolved satisfactorily.
“After all the other consultation responses are finalised, the application will be referred to a future meeting of the north east planning committee.”
Last week campaigners fighting for the construction of a new Madras College at Pipeland delivered a petition in support of the plans to Fife Council. Parent Voice, an informal group campaigning for a new school at Pipeland, collected more than 600 signatures in less than a week.