A piece of neglected land in St Andrews town centre should be taken over by Fife Council as soon as possible, a local campaigner has said.
For many years, councillors and members of St Andrews Preservation Trust have been sickened by the condition of the land at the junction of Greyfriars Gardens and St Mary’s Place.
Located in what was the Greyfriars Chapel grounds in medieval times, there have been previous attempts by local organisations, individuals and councillors to clean up the area.
Now, former St Andrews Fife councillor Bill Sangster, who is chairman of the North East Fife Community Safety Panel and a co-opted trustee of the St Andrews Preservation Trust, has called for urgent action.
He said: “The garden on the corner of Greyfriars Garden and St Mary’s Place is a total disgrace and should be taken over by Fife Council as soon as possible.
“This has been a long-running saga of the owner not looking after it and the local community wanting to care for it, with the possibility of constructing a public seating area.
“At the moment, it is full of weeds, rubbish and household furniture; this does not go down well with the public and more so with our thousands of visitors. There is a safety risk in that it could attract vermin and is so unhealthy that immediate action should be taken.”
St Andrews Fife councillor Brian Thomson has also been involved in discussions with St Andrews Preservation Trust and Fife Council officers regarding possible Compulsory Purchase Powers (CPO). Discussions have been taking place with Fife Council’s legal services.
Mr Thomson said: “No 1 Greyfriars Garden has been an eyesore for a number of years and the St Andrews Preservation Trust obtained planning permission in December 2011 to create a ‘poetry garden’, which would include seating and be open to the public.
“Since then they have been trying to purchase the garden so they can implement their proposals. However, I understand that the current owner is unwilling to sell the garden and negotiations have proven difficult.
“As such, the trust approached the council’s property services, and asked if the council would assist in purchasing the garden from the current owner.
“With little progress being made, I raised the matter with property services and was advised that the legislation relating to CPOs would allow the council to promote a CPO for the garden to bring it into public ownership and to then sell it to an agreed partner for ‘development’, potentially in line with the planning consent secured by the trust.
“I understand that a meeting has subsequently taken place between representatives of the trust and property services and that a plan for progressing a CPO has been agreed in principle.
“I am very keen to see the trust’s plans come to fruition and I have asked officers for an update on progress.”
Fellow St Andrews councillor Dorothea Morrison said: “This issue is being dealt with at present.
“The garden is indeed a disgrace and all four St Andrews members have urged Fife Council to agree to buy the land under the Compulsory Purchase Powers.
“The land cannot be developed as it is Protected Green Space but the condition of the garden is an issue each year when judging for Scotland in Bloom takes place.”
Fiona Mitchell, Fife council Locality Support Team Leader for North East Fife, confirmed Fife council is investigating a Compulsory Purchase Order.
She added: “The Preservation Society and the community council are interested in making this into a community garden, which they would care for.”