TODD Architects has submitted a planning application to Fife Council for the refurbishment and extension of The Scores Hotel at St Andrews, Scotland. This historic property occupies a unique position, just a few yards from the first tee at the Old Course, overlooking the legendary Royal & Ancient Golf Clubhouse and North Sea coastline.
The application has been submitted on behalf of the new owners, a joint venture between Links Collection Capital and Northern Ireland based property investment company, Wirefox, who purchased the property earlier this year.
The proposal will see the hotel’s existing rooms reconfigured and a five-storey extension added at the rear to create a 5* luxury hotel with 51 rooms. The design includes a new entrance that will add a sense of arrival to the hotel, whilst the new extension will include a high-quality restaurant and garden-dining area to deliver culinary excellence.
“The Scores Hotel has been in existence since the mid 1930s and we fully understand the responsibility of restoring such an important and well-loved building for the local community and the tourism trade in the area,” says Andrew Murray, Director at TODD Architects.
“Whilst a truly special hotel, it has been subject to a series of unsympathetic and piecemeal changes and additions, leading to many of the lovely Victorian spaces being carved up into awkward shapes with difficult access and many level changes. The hierarchy of spaces, dramatic settings and potentially amazing views have been lost. Our aim is to bring it back to its full potential, respecting the existing fabric whilst making sure our contemporary additions sit gracefully within the hotel grounds and the wider conservation area.”
Speaking about the proposals, Joanne McBurney, Director, at Wirefox, adds: “We are delighted to have finally submitted plans for the transformation of the much-loved Scores Hotel along with our development partners Links Collection Capital and our project team.
“We are grateful to those that have provided feedback on the proposals from our informal consultation with a range of local stakeholders over the past few months.
“We will continue to work proactively with local stakeholders and community groups as well as our neighbours as the application progresses through the planning process. Our aim is to create as world-class facility to complement the existing offer in St Andrews and the site’s location overlooking golf’s most famous course.”
TODD Architects’ design will see bedroom floors in the existing terrace reconfigured to increase room sizes in keeping with 5-Star requirements and better benefit from the amazing views over The Old Course and North Sea Coastline. The rear extension will sit discretely to the rear of the main hotel and features a simple, contemporary look with materiality that is distinct from the original fabric but complementing its forms and features.
A mansard roof creates a lighter finish to the building, and articulation creates a strong vertical rhythm accentuated with recessed and projecting elements for the outer wall.
The ground floor will contain space for a new destination restaurant and a flexible multi-purpose area that can be used for small weddings or reconfigured into rooms of differing sizes for corporate bookings. Patrons of the ground-floor rooms can spill out into the freshly landscaped, south-facing garden. A predominantly glazed link forms a delicate connection between the original hotel and the new wing.
The design includes the creation of a modest new stone and glass entrance in a simple contemporary style, reconfigured to contain a dedicated staircase to an upper bar and restaurant.
Andrew Murray concludes: “It is a rare opportunity to contribute to the ongoing story of such an important and historic building as The Scores Hotel. Building on our growing portfolio of hospitality and leisure schemes throughout the UK, we have drawn on our experience to enhance and add value to the property with a workable layout and additions that respect the proud history of the site and St Andrews, the home of Golf.”
