University apologises after outcry over its rowing club project

Criticism over £350 membership fee allied to lack of votes for non-students

St Andrews University has apologised to people living around Lochore Meadows and returned to the drawing board on its boathouse plan.

A proposal by the institution’s boat club to lease land in the country park and provide community rowing came under scathing attack from local councillors.

The club had proposed an annual membership fee of £350 in a what is classed as a deprived area of Fife, with no voting rights for non-students.

Its offer was described as “absolutely outrageous” as Fife Council’s Cowdenbeath area committee rejected it.

Benarty Community Council had accused the club of doing all it could to exclude people by pricing activity beyond the reach of many.

A university spokesperson said: “It was never our intention that local people would be charged and clearly something has gone wrong in our submission to Fife Council.

“We apologise to the local community and to the members of Cowdenbeath area committee, whose comments we note and take very seriously.

“As a university, we continue to

COUNCILLOR ROSEMARY LIEWALD

believe we can provide real and lasting community benefit at Lochore Meadows from a boathouse project.

“But we will be withdrawing the lease application immediately and going back to the drawing board.”

As it applied for a 40-year lease of land near the outdoor education centre, the club proposed running either community rowing programmes or opening its membership to the community.

However, under the proposed agreement non-student members would have been excluded from voting and the club would “determine the extent of their rowing activity”.

Committee convener Councillor Linda Erskine had said: “To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement.

“They have had more than a year to deliver an opportunity for the area. This doesn’t show any commitment from the organisation as it stands.”

Councillor Rosemary Liewald said a similar universities venture at Strathclyde Country Park had brought “immense” community benefit but she was “sadly disappointed” with the Lochore Meadows offering.

She said: “All I see is huge financial benefit for the St Andrews University boat club.”

And councillor Alex Campbell said it was “absolutely outrageous” that members could have had to pay £350 without being able to vote and the “utterly ridiculous” request for a 40-year lease would have set a precedent.

The club has used the loch for rowing practice for the last three years, paying an annual fee of £500.

All I see is huge financial benefit for the St Andrews University boat club.

Picture: Kris Miller. Lochore Meadows Country Park, where St Andrews University had planned to lease land to provide community rowing – until stinging criticism of its plan to charge £350 per year.