Charity unveils plans to refurbish historic, popular Fife park

How the new look cafe could look at Craigtoun Park

A charity which manages one of Fife’s historic parks has unveiled plans for a new cafe and educational centre in a major refurbishment of its facilities.

The Friends of Craigtoun Park has submitted a planning application to Fife Council to carry out the work at the park at St Andrews.

The organisation wants to refurbish and change the use of some existing buildings to form a café with outdoor seating and educational training facility. The proposed work would also see the demolition of an obsolete glasshouse and existing extension.

The aim is to regenerate under-used faciltiies and provide sustainable income for the 47-acre park.

A design statement, submitted as part of the planning application, said: “The main building we are proposing to work with is the long brick building which currently has several underused spaces.

“To the south is a glasshouse which is condemned to be demolished by Fife Council due to the poor condition of the roof. The stone wall - which is part of the walled garden - makes up the southern wall of the building in question but isn’t currently celebrated internally or externally. It is a project ambition to improve access to the walled garden as it is currently limited and unclear.”

The application said the current cafe was small, the main kitchen was disconnected which is not functional, and it has no internal seating. The kiosk hatch and entrance to cafe are said to be “ lacklustre and not overly welcoming.” With the demolition of the glass house, the plan is to install new garden sweating with access from the cafe.

The park’s history dates back centuries. In the late 18th century, General Robert Melville undertook much of the landscaping. In 1901, Dr James Younger of the Younger brewing family, commissioned the design much of the fabric of the park which can be seen today including formal gardens, a walled garden, Cypress avenue, rose garden, Italian garden and temple. Further work followed including the creation of the island village known as the Dutch Village.

The park was at its peak in the 1960s, but continues to be a popular place with locals and visitors. Councillors will consider the application in due course.