St Andrews Holiday Estate: councillors refuse five new static pitches

Fife councillors have refused plans for five more static caravan pitches at St Andrews Holiday Estate at Knockhill of Nydie, near Strathkinness, going against a recommendation from planning officers to approve them.

Local Democracy Reporter Clare Buchanan, writing in the Central Fife Times, reports that Fife Council’s North East Planning Committee voted seven to three to refuse the application at its meeting on Wednesday 14 October 2026.

What was proposed

Devonshaw Ltd had been seeking permission for five additional static caravan pitches with decking at the park. The plans also included a bid for retrospective permission to relocate two existing static caravans, although councillors were told to consider only the five additional caravans.

The application attracted three objections, including one from Strathkinness Community Council, which raised concerns about further development, residential amenity, the number of units and management of the site.

What planning officers recommended

Alastair Hamilton, Service Manager in development management, presented the application with a recommendation for approval, subject to conditions. He told councillors that a condition would require a two metre-high fence between the site and neighbouring properties, after concerns were raised about overlooking and amenity.

He added: “The conditions also restrict the occupation to holiday accommodation so they cannot be used as permanent residential properties.”

Why councillors refused

St Andrews councillor Jane Ann Liston moved refusal, arguing that the development would amount to “over-intensification” and harm residential amenity. “You can see how the caravans are encroaching on Nydie Lodge,” she said. “I also consider the fact that the settlement of Nydie is the lodge and cottages across the road and now we have got 70 caravans on the site.” She added: “This is overdevelopment.”

Fellow ward councillor Al Clarke backed her, saying he believed the proposals went against a number of planning policies. On noise, he said neighbours “are seeing that impact currently on site due to the proximity” and that the plans would “only exacerbate that”.

Background to the site

Fife Today reports that Devonshaw Ltd acquired the park in 2021, when it was known as Nydie Campsite, and has since developed it from a touring and camping site into a static holiday caravan site.

The company previously applied for 68 pitches, then scaled the plans back to 33. Councillors refused the 33-pitch application, but in 2025 a Scottish Government reporter, Gordon Reid, upheld the company’s appeal and granted permission. In his ruling he noted that the caravans would occupy 11% of the site and that, as the proposal was contained within the boundary of the existing holiday park, it would not result in the loss of any additional countryside.

A second refusal near St Andrews in a month

The decision follows another refusal by the same committee in September. On Wednesday 16 September 2026, councillors voted nine to two to refuse Gleneagles Holiday Park Ltd’s plans for a £20 million, phase four expansion of Stewart’s Resort at Cameron, near St Andrews, which would have created up to 216 static lodge-style caravan pitches, as reported by The Courier and Fife Today.

Planning officers had recommended approval of that scheme too. The application drew 51 objections and 21 letters of support. East Neuk and Landward councillor Alycia Hayes moved refusal, saying the expansion would represent “an excessive intensification of development in the countryside”. The Courier reports that officers had cautioned that two previous bids to extend the park were approved on appeal after being refused by councillors.

Is there a right of appeal?

The reports of the latest meeting do not say whether Devonshaw Ltd plans to appeal. When councillors refused the company’s earlier 33-pitch application, Fife Today reported that the company had the right to consider lodging an appeal, and that appeal was later upheld, as described above.

What tighter planning can mean for existing owners

For owners already on a park, a refusal like this concerns new pitches rather than existing ones. The reports do not suggest any change to caravans already on the site. In practical terms:

• The park stays as it is for now. The number of pitches and the layout remain as currently permitted, unless a different scheme is approved or an appeal succeeds.
• Holiday use conditions. As the officer’s comments show, planning conditions on holiday parks often limit occupation to holiday use. Your own agreement with the park sets out the terms on which you keep your caravan there.
• Reading the plans. If the park where you own a caravan applies to expand, the council’s planning portal is where you can read the documents, and the park is the best place to ask how any plans might affect you.

Our guide to selling a static caravan with a pitch licence explains why your agreement matters if you are thinking about selling.

Selling a static caravan in Fife?

If you own a holiday static caravan or lodge around St Andrews or elsewhere in the area, find out more on our Fife page.

Static Caravan Buyer charges no commission when we buy your caravan. We cannot promise to buy every caravan, but we aim to contact you within 24 hours of your enquiry and to make an offer within 48 hours after that contact. Payment is made on collection day before the caravan is loaded.

Call us free on 0800 644 5000 or visit www.staticcaravanbuyer.com. Please note we buy holiday static caravans and lodges, not residential park homes.

Sources: Central Fife Times (Local Democracy Reporting Service), 14 October 2026; The Courier, 17 September 2026; Fife Today, 2025 and 18 September 2026. The featured image is illustrative and does not show St Andrews Holiday Estate.