St Andrews & East Fife Local Plan - Home Page

9. All development must be of high quality design to produce an attractiveand safe environment in which to live, work, play, invest and learn.10. The Local Plan provides detail over the period to 2022 while indicating,in broad terms, development over the longer term to informcommunities, landowners and investors.11. In determining locations for new development, Fife Council has takenaccount of opinion expressed through public involvement events andbalanced this against wider public interests. These are areas whereinfrastructure capacity is available, or where it should be provided andcan be supported by further development; which relate well with thetransport network; which have an acceptable or manageableenvironmental impact; and which are accessible to core communityservices such as schools, shops, or local facilities either on a selfcontainedbasis or collectively as a cluster of communities12. St Andrews13. St Andrews remains one of Scotland’s most popular locations as aplace to live. Its role as the principal town in East Fife is recognised inthe Local Plan strategy. The development strategy is to expand StAndrews over the next 20 years to realise the potential of tourism andthe University as an economic driver for Fife, whilst balancing this withthe need to protect its internationally important heritage. Developmentat North Haugh/Langlands, and at land at Craigtoun Road, make upthe St Andrews West Strategic Land Allocation. This will provide foremployment land, 1,090 houses (including a minimum of 30%affordable), and community development over a 20-year period. TheFife Structure Plan proposes a slightly lower proportion of housingdevelopment for the St Andrews Housing Market Area than its share ofFife’s population would merit and this is reflected in the Local Plan.14. To fulfil St Andrews’ role, the town needs further employment land toprovide opportunities for economic development, and to deliveraffordable housing, whilst protecting and enhancing the landscapesetting. To increase the contribution that science and technology maketo the Fife economy and develop links outwith Fife, opportunities areidentified for a science park, new business parks, and expansion of thetourism sector. New business parks will support local businesses aswell as providing opportunities for further employment in the town.15. The Local Plan allocates sites at the University of St Andrews’ NorthHaugh/Langlands campus west of the town centre to identify andprotect the land required to accommodate the academic growth andcommercial spin-off developments anticipated to take place over theperiod to 2026. It also identifies opportunities for housing development.This housing development, in addition to meeting housing needs, is akey element of the expansion of this area of St Andrews as it willenable the proposed improvement to the University’s facilities through