BENARTY Community Council want to scuttle plans for a University of St Andrews Boat Club to be established at Lochore Meadows.

They claim it offers no benefit to the community or local schoolkids, who would be priced out of rowing and sailing activities, with any money raised going “into the pockets” of the uni club.

Concerns were also raised about part of the loch being “locked off from public use for 40 years” and the proposals opening the door for other private enterprises to “acquire real estate” at the Meedies.

However, Fife Council said no decision has been made while the university said there will be “no negative impact”, they won’t have exclusive use and the proposed site was “unused and neglected”.

The row has been brewing since news of the proposed 40-year lease broke last year and Benarty Community Council said that, at their meeting this month, they had decided to reject the plans.

A statement said: “The proposals for community engagement submitted by the club are inadequate, very time limited in comparison to the length of the lease, and exorbitant in pricing for local communities on low incomes.

“Some elements of the proposals for community engagement were bare bones minimum input from the boat club, some were non existent until half way through their short proposal period, and at times they wanted to hand over responsibility for their community engagement to someone else.

“Benarty Community Council rejected the proposals and called for the application to build a boat shed at Lochore Meadows to be withdrawn. The response detailing our position was submitted to Fife Council and later made available online to gauge public opinion.”

It added: “The boat shed does not enhance the Meadows or bring anything to the community. It will be privately run and operated and therefore in essence private property within a public park.

“It will open the door to other private enterprises and organisations to try and acquire real estate within Lochore Meadows.

“If the boat shed goes ahead a prime area of Lochore Meadows, including a part of the loch itself, will be locked off from public use for 40 years.”

A spokesman for the University of St Andrews said: “A boathouse facility at Lochore Meadows would provide the permanent home the University Boat Club is looking for and allow for the provision of community rowing.

“The extra space would allow for the purchasing and storage of equipment used by our community projects, including our junior rowing programme, and give members of the community a fuller, more positive experience.

“The development of the site, and the presence of a rowing community, allows for the possibility of the formation of a community rowing club.”

He continued: “The presence of a boat club will also provide a source of revenue for the community in the form of an annual rent.

“The club will also host events that will bring hundreds of people into the area, publicising the profile of the loch and its attractions to a UK-wide audience and providing a source of revenue to the Willie Clarke visitor centre.

“There will be no negative impact on the park or on its general users. The proposed boat shed will be inside an existing council compound alongside other council storage facilities. It is not encroaching on any new public land around the loch.

“The land we are proposing to build on is currently unused and neglected.

“There has never been any suggestion that the university would have exclusive use of the loch. Our rowing club co-ordinates with other users, such as the sailabilty group, and ensure they do not disrupt anyone.

“We have repeatedly said this use does not prevent any of the other loch activities taking place.

“We would be delighted to meet again with members of Benarty Community Council to discuss any issues they may have.”

Last September Fife Council poured cold water on claims that the use of the loch was being “effectively privatised” and added that the university club was already a member of Lochore community sports hub and had, therefore, been using the loch for 18 months.

This week community manager Kevin Sayer said: “We have Benarty Community Council’s response to the proposals.

“It will be considered by the Cowdenbeath area committee, as part of a wider report on the proposition by the University of St Andrews Boat Club, at their meeting in November.”