The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
University’s £70m plan for new student village
Proposed Albany Park scheme will help ease pressure on local housing
Ambitious new plans aimed at easing pressure on St Andrews’ precious housing stock have been unveiled by the town’s university.
The revised proposals to Fife Council would provide 748 student beds at Albany Park, seen as the centrepiece of a £100 million investment in student accommodation over the coming years that will create 1,000 new bedrooms over and above the 4,000 already provided by the institution,
Since an initial blueprint was drawn up last October, the £70m development at Albany Park has been reviewed and proposed bed numbers have been cut from 900 in response to concerns by Fife Council about flood risk.
The scale, height and mass of buildings have been altered, dropping by one floor on some, while changes to the design, including more pitched roof details and additional gables, have been added to reflect the prominent St Andrews historic architecture.
The near 20% cut in bed numbers has freed up more space for landscaping and the recreation of historic Woodburn Square, which was a feature at the site for hundreds of years.
Ben Stuart, the university’s director of residential and business services, said: “The development at Albany Park is central to the university’s strategy to provide more accommodation for our students and ease the pressure on the housing stock in St Andrews.
“The new Albany Park will provide around 750 high quality student beds in an attractive environment and has the potential to revitalise the eastern area of St Andrews.”
The university’s strategy sets out a commitment to reduce its impact on the town, through the provision of purposebuilt student accommodation which is operated and managed by the university.
Half of the student beds at Albany Park will be classed as affordable accommodation.
The Albany development is a collaboration between the university and global student accommodation provider Campus Living Villages.
The proposed new Albany Park development will replace the halls of residence there which were opened in the 1970s and provided a total of 340 single rooms for under and postgraduate students.
The Courier understands the plans will be lodged with the local authority today and local individuals and groups will have the chance to air their views through the usual planning process.
This has the potential to revitalise the eastern area of St Andrews. BEN STUART