A financial application towards the restoration of a medieval garden near the centre of St Andrews has been turned down by councillors, amid concerns about access and that it would be inappropriate use of public money.
Maries Cassells, of St Andrews Pilgrim Foundation, applied for an award of £5,000 from the St Andrews Common Good Fund towards the £161,000 cost of restoring the university-owned St John’s Garden at the east end of Market Street.
In a report to Fife Council’s north-east Fife area committee, however, funding and monitoring manager Sharon Douglas drew attention to the fact that none of those consulted whether elected members or community councillors are supportive of the application due to limited access.
The project has a budget shortfall of £41,533. Councillors were told the foundation made funds available to the university for the restoration of the gate and the wall at the garden. This was phase one of the project to restore and improve the area for the community.
Phase two would involve the creation of a sensory garden for visually impaired and blind people, with benches and disabled access, hard landscaping, preparation of the site, excavations, walling, slab removal, foundations, paintings and hand rails.
Members were told the gardens would then be available to the community from Monday to Friday, between 10am and 3pm, and would afford visitors an insight into the heritage of the site and its medieval setting.
It would be a reflective haven in the middle of the town and will be an addition to the public amenity of St Andrews, the report said.
Committee chairman Frances Melville said: “The reason there’s not much support for spending common good money on this project is because of access.”
St Andrews councillor Dorothea Morrison said the opening times had also been of concern to some of the Pilgrim Foundation trustees but the university, she said, would “not give any leeway” on this.
She said: “This is not an application from the pilgrim foundation, as that was what trustees had made clear on Monday but the project is actually a partnership between Maries Cassells and St Andrews University.
“The design has been prepared by Robert Steedman and, if the garden comes to fruition, (it) will be a wonderful oasis in the centre of town. The problem lies in the fact that the university is unable to offer longer opening times and that has been the obstacle for further funding.”
St Andrews councillor Brian Thomson said: “I would fully support the principle of saving the garden but can’t support public money being given to the university when there will be limited access.”
Taybridgehead councillor Maggie Taylor, seconded by Tim Brett, moved refusal of the application. Mrs Taylor said: “I feel we, as councillors, speak on the public’s behalf and if they are against the spend, it should be refused.”
East Neuk member John Docherty moved approval on condition that access was made available at the weekends. However, his amendment failed to find a seconder and the application for common good money was refused.