The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Ogren walks away from Feddinch resort project
Dundee United owner Mark Ogren has walked away from plans for a multi-million-pound golf resort in St Andrews.
The Tangerines chairman resigned from investment consultants GPH Engineering, four months after contractors quit the Feddinch Mains site amid a row over payment.
Mr Ogren blamed the mess on his Spanish business partner Hector Pous Rivero, who, he said, hired multiple contractors behind his back.
And he said he halted work as soon as he realised contractors hadn’t been paid.
But as a legal process over the debacle continues, the future of the £25m project is still unclear.
GPH Engineering faces being struck off by Companies House after failing to file accounts.
And while new owners are believed to be preparing to start work at the troubled site soon, the land is still blighted by huge mounds of earth seven months after the walk-out.
People living near Feddinch are now seeking assurances, with one neighbour saying: “I’m really upset to say nothing has happened since the contractors left in May.”
A spokesman for Mr Ogren confirmed he no longer had any involvement with GPH Engineering.
Mr Rivero could not be contacted for comment.
North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain described the site as “an eyesore”, and said the developers had failed to engage with her or with local people.
The Liberal Democrat MP is now worried about the future of the development, which remains shrouded in uncertainty.
She said: “This is another concerning and disappointing development for residents living near the abandoned site. They have had to put up with the disruption and inconvenience of this eyesore for years.
“In recent months the situation has got worse as the site has deteriorated further, with trees being blown onto the adjacent boundary.
“When contacted by constituents about the site last year, it took a number of attempts to get an initial response.
“Even then the current developers have failed to engage or provide any information about its future.
“I hope a new developer can be found quickly to continue the work and end the uncertainty.”
Local councillor Linda Holt said people were very upset that the site appeared to have been abandoned.
“They just want to see it properly developed instead of this limbo,” she said.
Mr Ogren and Mr Rivero bought the 240-acre Feddinch site in 2020 and submitted a planning application to Fife Council for an 18-hole layout to rival the Old Course.
Their plans included a clubhouse, golf accommodation, 41 luxury suites, a spa and restaurant.
Work started in 2020 but a public consultation on the proposals was cancelled at the last minute, and it later emerged work had been halted.
It was the latest twist in the Feddinch saga, which dates back to 1999.
A spokesman for Mr Ogren confirmed he resigned in October.
He said: “Mark Ogren has nothing to do with GPH Engineering any more and the work they did had nothing to do with him.”