Fife Council gives green light for new St Andrews college

Major plans by the University of St Andrews to redevelop one of the most significant sites in the town have been given the green light by Fife Council.

Plans have been approved for a £142 million scheme to renovate the former Madras College school building in South Street and construct new buildings on the site.

Once completed, ‘New College’, as it is currently known, will be home to the new St Andrews Business School as well as accommodating the University’s School of International Relations.

University Principal Professor Dame Sally Mapstone said: “I am very pleased the plan has been approved. The former Madras College secondary school building has a very special place in the hearts of so many members of the St Andrews and North East Fife community, as well as our global alumni and donor network, and we are very grateful for their interest and support for the redevelopment plans. I know many people will now watch with interest as the vision becomes a reality.”

Stafford Critchlow, Board Director at project architect WilkinsonEyre, said: “It’s been a rewarding three-year process of careful dialogue to ensure the design properly stitches New College into the historic fabric of central St Andrews.

“With the restored listed building at its heart, reinvigorated by a newly covered courtyard designed for year-round use in the Fife climate, the scheme delivers outstanding facilities for students, postgraduates and academics. The result is a contemporary academic environment with a strong and distinctive St Andrews character, enriched by a new landscape setting and public access.”