Council officials working on the project to replace Madras College in St Andrews have promised to deliver a ”first class” school fit for the 21st century as controversy over the chosen site continues.
Despite ongoing criticism of the council’s preferred option to build on the existing Kilrymont site from some quarters, and the Muir Group’s insistence that its site at Pipeland Farm would be the best course of action to follow, Alan Paul, property services senior manager with Fife Council, maintained officers are merely working within the parameters set by the education and children’s services committee and that’s currently to consult on the Kilrymont option.
”What we must keep in mind is that we have been asked to consult at this time on a proposal to redevelop the Kilrymont site and that’s what we are doing,” he told The Courier. ”It was the education and children’s services committee who asked us to do this.
”After considering the outcome of the ongoing educational consultation, it is the committee who will make the final decision on the location of the new Madras College.
”We have consistently made clear that our preferred option for a new Madras College would be a large unrestricted greenfield site. However, after exhaustive investigation we had to conclude that such a site which meets the needs of the school doesn’t exist within St Andrews.”
The Muir Group has offered its site at Pipeland Farm to the council for £2 million instead of the £3 million previously reported, but Mr Paul said the council’s assessment of the land’s value was based on independent valuation advice commissioned from the district valuer when the council was in discussions with St Andrews University talks which subsequently broke down.
He explained: ”Although we disagree with the Muir Group’s assessment of the value of their site, I should stress that when we reported to committee in November, our assessment of Pipelands (as with the other sites considered) was based on a whole series of criteria, to include deliverability, likely availability of planned consent, physical characteristics of the site as well as educational and community benefits.
”It is particularly important to point out that the site Muir have offered is identified in the emerging local plan as greenbelt and the scale of the proposal to develop the site as a school, bearing in mind it would be one of the biggest structures in St Andrews, would be significantly contrary to the emerging local plan, which has been subject to considerable public consultation, and awaits final confirmation from Scottish Government.
”I have recently met with Mr Muir and thanked him for his continued interest in our proposals. In doing so, however, I have stressed that the council is currently consulting only on the proposal to create the new Madras at Kilrymont where we are confident that a first class, 21st century school can be delivered.”
Mr Paul also sought to reassure parents over the council’s proposals to decant the existing school to South Street if and when work on a new school at Kilrymont gets under way.
He concluded: ”We have significant experience of managing successful decant arrangements and by the end of the month we will have detailed plans for the public to see. I am sure these will allay many of the fears expressed by parents.”