The projected costs of a new, single-site Madras College at Pipeland in St Andrews have risen by £2.7 million to £42.7m, Fife Council has confirmed.
Alan Paul, senior manager with property services, said the economic downturn had previously kept inflation low but as the economy, and the construction industry in particular, has started to pick up again, so have inflation rates.
He told The Courier: “This increase is having an effect on all the council’s building projects, including Madras, but we have been expecting this and have been taking appropriate actions to try to minimise the impact on all our projects. We’ll continue to monitor the situation.”
A report on the issue was presented to this week’s meeting of the the council executive committee.
The matter also arose during this month’s meeting of St Andrews Community Council, after being raised by member Penny Uprichard.
St Andrews Fife councillor Dorothea Morrison said: “I do not know if that is an optimistic projection of overspend or not.”
Meanwhile, a new three-week consultation has been launched by Fife Council, following the submission of new documents related to the possibility of a flood risk on the Pipeland site.
Concerns about a potential flood risk at Pipeland led to the council delaying a decision on a full planning application.
A detailed planning proposal for the school earmarked for the greenbelt land at Pipeland had been expected to go before the council’s north-east planning committee in September.
However, it was deferred until October or November because a council consultant believed there is “insufficient information to determine whether the proposals meet the requirements of Fife Council in terms of flood risk”.
In a report submitted to the council planning service by consultants URS Infrastructure & Environment UK Ltd, it concludes the development will lead to betterment” of the environment, residential and hospital area flood risk.