Plans for a five-storey extension at a Fife hotel – as part of a major transformation project – have been approved.
The extension will be added to the rear of The Scores Hotel in St Andrews, while 15 rooms will be added to create a 51-bed five-star hotel.
A planning application was submitted to Fife Council last November. It has now been given the green light.
The hotel was bought in June last year in a joint venture between Links Collection Capital and Northern Ireland-based property investment company Wirefox.
Aim to create a ‘world-class facility’
Wirefox development director Joanne McBurney said: “We welcome the positive decision taken by planners at Fife Council.
“We are delighted to be able to realise our aim to create a world-class facility to complement the existing offer in St Andrews and the site’s location overlooking golf’s most famous course.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the local residents and community groups we have liaised with over recent months.”
Last October, the new owners said Scores Hotel would be closed for 18 months while renovation work is carried out.
The refurbished hotel will create in excess of 65 jobs.
Extension build at Scores Hotel to start later this year
A strip-out of the existing hotel will begin “in the coming weeks” with construction on the extension to begin later this year.
The design will see bedroom floors redesigned to improve accessibility.
The extension will reach south of the main building featuring a simple, contemporary look with material that is representative of the local area.
A predominantly glazed link forms a connection between the original hotel and the new wing.
The design includes the creation of a new stone and glass entrance.
The ground floor will contain space for a new destination restaurant. It will also feature areas that could be used for weddings or corporate events.
Scores Hotel’s long history in St Andrews
The Scores Hotel opened in the 1930s. It combines a fine 1864 Victorian House, Seaton House, with a boys’ school built in the 1880s.
Seaton House was designed in the Jacobean style by George Rae, the first St Andrews citizen to become an architect.
It was then home to an institute founded in 1919 by prominent London heart specialist, Sir James Mackenzie.
It traded under the Best Western banner until it was sold earlier this year.
Missing out on the return of The Open
The 18-month closure will mean the hotel will miss out on trade when The Open Championship returns to St Andrews in the summer.
The owners hope the town will benefit from a post-Open boost and be a sought after destination next year.
Links Collection Capital was set up with the belief that world class golf courses deserve world class hospitality.
As well as being joint-owners of the Scores Hotel, they also own The Dunvegan Hotel in St Andrews.
