CHRIS Main says that he has been effectively forced to leave St Andrews against his will.
The 70-year-old has lived in the seaside town since 2017, taking up residence in some sheltered flats in Kirkhill – in part due to a family connection to the area.
But that all changed when a millionaire bought the historic cottage next door and submitted plans to knock it down and turn it into a luxury home.
While neighbours objected to the plans, Fife Council planning officers eventually pushed it through on the second attempt under delegated powers, without going before a planning committee.
Main – who was among those who objected to the plans initially – says that the noise and disruption from the development is now forcing him out.
READ MORE: Scottish Labour MSP to quit Holyrood over friendship with convicted sex offender
“The scaffolding when it goes up is going to be literally against my living room wall, inches from my window and over the last six months I've decided that I'm just going to have to move,” he said.
“I don't want to leave my home here because I love it here. You should see it, it's just got the most wonderful view. I'm the luckiest guy on earth to have this.”
This isn’t an isolated case, with many locals being pushed out as the town is increasingly bought up by the super rich.
St Andrews is now Scotland’s most expensive coastal location according to a Bank of Scotland survey, with average property prices around £458,381, driven in part by its university and golf heritage.
Property data released this year, meanwhile, also shows that the area recorded the highest number of £1 million+ property sales in Scotland outside Edinburgh and Glasgow over the past five years — with around 80 seven-figure transactions between 2020 and mid-2025.
Celebrities have also sunk their teeth into the Scottish town, with legendary golfer Tiger Woods and pop star Justin Timberlake facing significant local opposition to their plans to convert the historic New Picture House cinema into a luxury sports bar.
While a massive petition was launched against it from residents who feared losing a cultural landmark, the project eventually got approval.
FOI data released by Fife Council to The Sunday National, meanwhile, shows that the number of homes in the lowest tax band in East Fife have actually decreased between November 2015 and November 2025 – from 3533 to 3429.
The number of homes within the two highest council tax bands have, meanwhile, increased by over 10% in the same timeframe.
This shift has led some to conclude that St Andrews is increasingly pricing out locals and turning into a millionaire’s playground.
Over 13,000 people in Fife are also on the waiting list for homes, prompting the council to declare a housing emergency in 2024
“St Andrews is at risk of becoming a theme park for the super-rich and Fifers are being priced out of the homes they have lived in for years,” local MSP Mark Ruskell told The Sunday National.
He also reacted to a separate FOI to Fife Council by The Sunday National, which found a 12% increase in the number of second homes in East Fife between 2015 and 2024 – from 1650 to 1847.
There are also now around 1000 short-term lets in St Andrews, making up 5.4% of the town's housing stock.
“The huge increase in second homes and short-term lets will ring alarm bells for local people who are already concerned about properties sitting empty and hiking up prices for people who can’t afford a first home or the eyewatering rents that are driving people away,” Ruskell said.
“St Andrews is a wonderful community with a unique character. We must not allow it to be hollowed out by property hoarders or celebrities.”
READ MORE: Church of Scotland issues statement as Christmas returns to Bethlehem
The town’s community council, meanwhile, also has serious concerns.
The St Andrews LPP (Local Place Plan), a community-led initiative launched by the voluntary organisation, found that new housing tends to be aimed at retirees of wealthier resident or second home owners rather than young families.
It also found that housing was the biggest concern among survey respondents, with other concerns including that having students in the town centres pushes locals with a low income to the periphery.
It also hit out at the shortage of affordable housing in the town and added that there were “no clear plans” by Fife Council to build such housing.
They are pushing for the council to commission research to inform future housing policy in the town, and investigate a control zone for short term lets and fewer HMOs, as well as a rent control zone and more social housing.
“Many of those who buy property here are from abroad and see golf tourism as a certain way to recover any investment. These properties are lost to local families, as rents in St Andrews are among the highest in Fife. Some students, who have a bus pass are now travelling from Dundee where rents are less,” a community council spokesperson said.
“The community council asked in 2021 to be in a control zone for short term lets. The licence is awarded almost automatically, costs much less than an HMO licence and there does not appear to be stringent safety requirement tests, as for hotels etc. Most of the recent new-build applications are for small two bedroom flats.”
They added: “Because it is expensive to rent to buy a home here, parking in town is becoming more and more difficult. Rules on parking provision are advisory only and one recent application for an eighty plus bedroom hotel had only six parking places on site.
“The community council is concerned that the composition of our community is changing from permanent residents to one of transients with the resulting loss of accountability and local democracy.”
Fife Council have been approached for comment.
Share