North-East Fife councillors have overwhelmingly rejected Fife Council Labour administration’s favoured options for a single-site Madras College at Pipeland or Petheram.
Instead, they voted 12-3 to recommend the redevelopment of Kilrymont should be pursued because it ”presents the fewest obstacles, keeps the project within budget and delivers a school in the shortest possible timescale.”
Their views will now be put forward to Fife Council’s executive committee, which will make a recommendation for wider consultation on December 4.
Members of Fife Council’s North-East Fife area committee spent more than four hours discussing the Madras issue on Wednesday.
A team of senior council officers took questions on everything from the potential legal threat of building a new Madras on the recently established green belt at Pipeland to the challenges of constructing a school and loss of parking on the site at Petheram.
Particular concerns were raised about the ”deliverability” of a school on the various sites.
Concerns were also raised about the way in which a St Andrews University pond site/Madras South Street land swap deal had been unexpectedly introduced during a private general business meeting with St Andrews councillors last Wednesday.
St Andrews SNP councillor Keith McCartney, seconded by Tay Bridgehead Liberal Democrat councillor Tim Brett, moved the motion that Kilrymont offered the best option for a ”first class” Madras.
The successful eight-point motion:
Welcomed the additional work and time taken that has been spent reviewing all possible options for a site in St Andrews. Acknowledged and respected the concern and frustration experienced by pupils, parents, staff and politicians with the existing school provision and accepted that in the interests of children a decision on the best site for development should be arrived at before the end of 2012. Recognised that not withstanding the poor state of the accommodation that the current Madras still provides a very high standard of education for all its pupils. Accepted that despite a series of exhaustive searches over the past five years no site has been identified which commands support across the community. Believed that the new school should be delivered as soon as possible and with the greatest degree of certainty. Considered that the site presenting the fewest obstacles, within budget and delivering in the shortest timescale would be Kilrymont. Stated that further communication is needed to reassure parents and pupils that the decant at South Street will not adversely impact on pupils’ education. Believed that only if other sites can pass the test of remaining within budget and can be delivered in the shortest possible timescale without undue risk of legal challenge then these sites could also be considered.
Cupar councillor Bryan Poole said he believed Kilrymont could be the ”worst of the sites.”
He said there were structural concerns about the building and there could be potential asbestos problems if and when the site was opened up.
It would not provide the best sport facilities and would also be wrong to disregard the views of the 2,000 people who he said overwhelmingly rejected the Kilrymont option during a public consultation exercise earlier in the year.
However his amendment, seconded by Brian Thomson, was unsuccessful.
A St Andrews University spokesman said: ”We accept that the pond site is now ruled out as an option for them however, we will give them our full support in their continuing efforts to secure a suitable site in St Andrews for this important and urgent project.”