Student flat plans dealt blow

PLANS to more t han double the student accommodation at a St Andrews beachfront site have been dealt a blow.

Around £70 million has been set aside for the St Andrews University redevelopment at Albany Park.

It would see the creation of new residence blocks providing 754 student beds, a huge rise on the 340 single rooms previously available on the site next to the East Sands.

But the ambitious blueprint has been put on hold amid serious concerns about the potential for flooding in the area.

Fife Council planners have f ormally refused planning permission.

Plans prepared for the university and Campus Living Villages by Jones Lang LaSalle previously described the self-catering accommodation at Albany Park – which costs students £3,915 a year – as “un-attractive and uninspiring”, highlighting the need for change in the area.

As a result, proposals for 17 student residence blocks, associated landscaping, 107 car parking spaces and other works, including clearance of the existing buildings on site, were tabled, along with plans for a new student facilities building.

However, 17 objections were received, with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) one of the key dissenters.

The Confederation of St Andrews Residents Associations objected over vehicular access.

St Andrews Community Council expressed concerns about design, access and the increase in student numbers.

A spokesman for St Andrews University said: “We’re revising our plans.”