96-room hotel at Gibson House, Argyle Street, St Andrews

“Application for Full Planning Permission Ref: 25/01956/FULL Site Address: Gibson House, Argyle Street, St Andrews Proposal: Change of use from care home (Class 10) to hotel (Class 7) (96 rooms) including bar and restaurant, and external alterations including erection of extensions, alterations to access, landscaping, and other associated works. Applicant: [the applicant] (WH) Ltd, Hamilton House, Glasgow.”

“This application relates to Gibson House, which is a category B listed building, located in the centre of St Andrews. Gibson House occupies a prominent position within the Central St Andrews Conservation Area on the corner of Argyle Street and City Road, and the surrounding area contains a mix of residential and commercial uses. Historically, the application property was a hospital, before being converted into a care home.”

“99/00463/EFULL - Extension to carpark - Application Approved - 04/08/99 05/02412/ELBC - Erect wall plaque - Application Approved - 04/04/06 11/00841/FULL - Alterations and extension to residential care home - Application Approved - 29/07/11 11/00855/LBC - Listed building consent for alterations and extension to residential care home - Application Approved - 29/07/11 14/01629/FULL - Alterations and extension to residential care home (renewal of 11/00841/FULL) - Application…”

“The application proposal relates to an existing, vacant building within the settlement boundary of St Andrews, and the surrounding area is characterised by a mix of uses, including commercial and residential. The proposed land use would therefore raise no significant concerns in relation to conflicts with existing surrounding uses in principle, and shall be subject to further detailed assessment within the remainder of this report.”

“Overall, this is a finely balanced proposal which has been carefully considered. Whilst the application proposal would result in the redevelopment of two existing poor-quality extensions, the replacement development is of a significantly increased scale.”

“Issue Addressed in Section a. Proposal does not have enough off-street parking. Argyle Street car parks already well used. 2.5 b. Congestion issues around West Port roundabout. 2.5 c. Privacy impacts on existing residential properties which surround the site. d. Design and finishes of the proposal would conflict with the traditional nature of the surrounding area. e. Residential amenity impacts during the construction period. f.”

“Issue Addressed in Section j. Proposal would result in an overbearing impact on surrounding properties. k. Odour pollution l. Light pollution…”

“Amendment Councillor Verner, seconded by Councillor MacDiarmid, moved an amendment to refuse the application on the grounds that the proposed development did not comply with:- (1) Policies 7 and 14 of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) (2023); Policies 1, 10 and 14 of FifePlan Local Development Plan (2017); and the Central St Andrews Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (2010) due to its design, layout and massing which would have a detrimental visual impact on…”

“For the Amendment – 5 votes Councillors Hayes, Kennedy, Kennedy-Dalby, MacDiarmid and Verner. Having received a majority of votes, the motion to approve the application was carried.”

“Decision The committee approved the application, subject to:- (1) the conclusion of a legal agreement to secure off-site car parks to allow for the operation of a valet parking service; (2) authority being delegated to the Head of Planning, Climate and Sustainability Service, in consultation with the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, to negotiate and conclude the legal agreement; (3) a legal agreement being reached within six months of the committee's decision,…”