St Andrews councillor: ‘Scrap £500k South Street plans and charge businesses for outside dining’

A St Andrews councillor is calling on Fife Council to scrap £500,000 plans for permanent South Street pavement extensions.

Robin Lawson says officers should instead charge hospitality businesses who use public roads and pavements as outside dining areas.

And tables and chairs should be removed in winter to allow for more car parking.

Mr Lawson says his “win-win solution” would save the cash-strapped council half-a-million pounds – the cost of widening footpaths and installing seating and bike racks.

And it would bring in income to compensate for the dozens of parking spaces lost to eating and drinking areas.

The council’s proposal has provoked a mixed reaction in St Andrews, with car parking one of the major issues.

St Andrews changes costing £75,000 a year in lost parking revenue

Officers looked to Vienna when drawing up designs.

They hope to create a cafe culture with more outdoor dining and public seating.

If approved, pavements will be widened outside five businesses – Janetta’s ice cream shop, Con Panna, The Criterion, St Andrews Brewing Company and The Adamson.

This will mean the permanent loss of 41 parking spaces.

Mr Lawson is largely in favour of outdoor dining in South Street.

However, he says the £500,000 for permanent changes could be better spent.

And allowing some businesses to extend onto the road for free is unfair on others.

The Conservative councillor said: “Over 60 car parking spaces have been blocked off by temporary extensions since 2020.

“This has cost Fife Council around £75,000 per year in lost revenue.

“It’s also costing retail and service businesses lost business as customers can’t park easily.”

Council ‘has not ruled out charging businesses for outdoor seating’

The local authority says it has not ruled out charging businesses.

However, Mr Lawson added: “I have asked Fife Council several times to come forward with a charging schedule for use of these extensions, but there has been no action.

“This is strange because other users of road and parking spaces, like contractors’ compounds or street markets, all pay a daily amount for their use.

“Fife Council is very short of money and can ill-afford to give away £75,000 per year like this.”

Council officers say they are continuing to monitor the situation in St Andrews.

Lead consultant Maggie Baird said businesses have temporary approval to occupy outdoor areas.

And she added: “These occupations are not currently charged. However, we have not ruled out potentially charging for this in the future.

“We would discuss any moves to change the current set-up with affected businesses before any decision is made.”