Fife holiday resort near St Andrews plans £20m expansion

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Council officers recommend approval for 216 additional lodges at Stewarts Resort despite local traffic concerns.

Plans for a £20 million extension at a Fife holiday resort near St Andrews have been recommended for approval by planning officers, despite concerns from nearby communities over road safety and increased traffic. Gleneagles Holiday Park Ltd is seeking permission to expand Stewarts Resort at Northbank Farm, Cameron, with a further 216 holiday lodges. This proposal would more than double the scale of the existing resort, which already includes completed and under-construction lodges alongside leisure facilities such as a restaurant, spa, and gym.

The operator stated that the investment would help meet growing demand for high-quality self-catering accommodation in the St Andrews area. Gleneagles Holiday Park Ltd also said the expansion would strengthen the local visitor economy and support tourism spending across Fife.

Fife Council’s planning officers have recommended that the application be granted, subject to conditions.

Their assessment concluded that the development would not have a material impact on the operation or safety of the A915, the principal route between St Andrews and Largoward. The proposed development is forecast to generate around 846 two-way vehicle movements on a typical day, a point that had drawn objections from residents in several nearby communities who raised concerns about additional traffic on an already pressured road.

However, the planning report noted that the applicant has put forward active-travel measures intended to reduce reliance on private cars.

An assessment of five years of collision data identified one serious-injury accident within the wider area, approximately a mile from the resort access. Officers further concluded that the junctions serving the site would remain within capacity, with low queue lengths and delays, and that there was no evidence of an existing road-safety issue linked to the resort entrance.

Conditions attached to any consent would include a requirement that the new lodges remain holiday accommodation rather than becoming permanent homes, and the developer would also need to repair cracked hardstanding at a nearby bus stop before any caravan on the development is occupied. The proposals are due to be considered by Fife Council’s North East Planning Committee, whose members will make the final decision.