School Plans To Be Challenged

Plans to build a new Madras College at Pipeland look set to be delayed yet again.

A judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that the project should go ahead, despite opposition.

It's been confirmed that the group against the new school, Stepal, will lodge a fresh appeal against the judgement by the end of the week.

They argue that planning rules were broken in favour of educational needs.

Council Leader David Ross said, “This is a huge disappointment for us at Fife Council but more importantly it will be a huge disappointment for the parents and the children who we know were looking forward to entering a new school in 2017.

“I understand that the appeal will be lodged by Friday, but we have no indication as yet of the grounds for the appeal.

“The judgement by Lord Doherty strongly supported the Council’s position on this matter and the view we received from our legal and planning advisors was that the judgement left little or no grounds for appeal.

“It is my view that Stepal are now just out to delay proceedings in the hope that Fife Council will somehow give up on building a new school in St Andrews.

“I want to be very clear to Stepal and their financial backers that Fife Council is absolutely determined to push on with the replacement of the current Madras facilities with the much needed, new purpose built school at Pipelands.

“We will be exploring every option to have this appeal dealt with as speedily as possible and we will be pursuing Stepal vigorously for full reimbursement of the costs associated with this process.”

Cllr Bryan Poole, Fife Council’s Education Portfolio Holder, added, “This is a sad day for Education in the Madras College catchment area. Stepal obviously had the right to contest the decision of Fife Council via the Judicial Review. But anyone reading that judgement was left in no doubt as to the opinion of Lord Doherty – it was as comprehensive a statement in favour of Fife Council as it was possible to get. That isn’t just my opinion – it’s the opinion of legal and expert planning opinion inside and outside Fife Council. It is difficult to see how Stepal’s Legal Advice would be substantially different. And on that basis it’s difficult to understand what Stepal are up to.

“Surely the time has come to put the current and future needs of the children first. In fact it’s way beyond time for that. A new Madras will be built at Pipeland – of that I’m certain. Why am I certain? Because there is no other suitable site that is available to build the kind of school which we believe the young people of this area deserve. That is the view of Fife Council, of the Scottish Government, of Lord Doherty and of the overwhelming majority of pupils, parents and the wider community. Stepal must know they are out of step with the majority opinion. Isn’t it time they accepted this?”