Fife Council Set to Extend South Street Pavements

Fife Council has proposed a new layout for South Street to create space for more outdoor dining and make it more accessible for pedestrians. This plan includes extending the pavement outside hospitality businesses on the street, including Jannetta’s Gelateria, Con Panna, the Criterion, St Andrews Brewing Company, and the Adamson. This would allow for more outdoor tables at these establishments. Additional benches, bike racks, and greenery have also been proposed. Stantec, the transport consultancy company working on the proposal, has stated that the intention of the project is to foster a welcoming environment with outdoor amenities for locals. In order to make space for these additions, 41 parking spaces on South Street will be removed. The budget for these buildouts is £500,000, and these funds will be drawn from the Fife Council Active Travel Budget.  

The project has not received unanimous support from members within the Council. Robin Lawson, a Conservative Fife Councillor for St Andrews, has notably spoken out against the proposal. When asked to provide a comment, Lawson highlighted the consequence of parking spaces being removed and their revenue being lost. Many businesses were allotted additional outdoor seating as part of “Spaces for People”, a series of measures put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic that caused sixty parking spaces to be blocked off by the council. 

“Covid is now history, and yet the temporary measures still block those parking spaces, which the Council says has reduced revenue by £70,000 per year,” he said. The councillor also noted that the proposed extensions would likely remain in place long term, stating that “the likelihood of these being removed is very slight indeed.” Given that the Council would be spending £500,000, the loss of income from parking spaces would continue in the future. 

Lawson argues that this budget should be used elsewhere: “There is little ‘active’ about making the current pavement extensions more permanent,” he said regarding funds being drawn from the Active Travel Budget. Alternatively, he proposes that the funding could be put towards improving cycle paths between St Andrews and Guardbridge, which remains “very dangerous” for cyclists, or to create a route between Strathkinness. He would complement these routes with improved cycle paths within the town. On this matter, a 20-mile-per-hour speed limit, campaigned for by Lawson to make the town safer for cyclists, is set to be enforced next year. The councillor has also advocated for an “easier and safer access for pedestrians and cyclists” joining or leaving the A915 and A917, which run past large caravan parks.

When asked what compromise could be reached within the Council, Lawson said that businesses should apply to use extended space and “show that it will pay more than the parking spaces it uses up” in order to offset its impact. He believes these extensions should be withdrawn in winter to allow parking spaces to be used during this season.

This sentiment is shared by many local organisations such as the St Andrews Community Council and the Confederation of St Andrews Residents Association (CSARA). David Middleton, chairman of the CSARA, offered a statement regarding this issue. He particularly emphasised the Association’s concern about the impact on disabled and visually impaired pedestrians, for whom the build-outs could be hazardous. While Middleton stated that “support is evident from most hospitality businesses which benefited from an extension,” he also noted that this plan could create a tiered system where “businesses that are unable to have build-outs might feel they have been placed at a commercial disadvantage.” Indeed, this position is prevalent in the discourse; on average, there have been “25 objections and one support statement” for each of the five proposed extensions, which can be found on the website for the planning.

The issue at hand remains contentious, with both pro and con arguments presented in regards to the development. Whether Council will pursue this project remains uncertain.

Photo by Madeleine Rea