Modern Construction in an Historic Landscape

Caroline Wells, Constantina Antoniadou & Emily Wells | Architectural Design: Logistics

Modern Construction in a Historic Landscape: The Material Palette of Sutherland Hussey Harris Architects’ West Burn Lane

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West Burn Lane | Report Information

Abstract

With a site located in a Historic Conservation Area, and a client who had previously struggled to obtain planning permissions, Sutherland Hussey Harris Architects had to be strategic in their approach to designing this series of residential buildings. Focusing on adapting the building’s footprint to the historic footprint of St Andrews became a first step towards success, while focusing closely on the building’s material palette became the cornerstone of the project. Whilst it helped the architects obtain the required planning permissions, their focus on an historically inspired material palette brought with it its own challenges in regard to constructing a modern building and structure. The client’s aim to have the design cater to individuals with a taste in high-end, luxury construction meant that the architects had to further adapt these materials to ensure that they would come together in the neatest, highest quality finish.

Logistical Theme: Modern Construction in a Historic Landscape Aim The aim of this Architectural Design: Logistics report is to look at the West Burn Lane project and investigate the assembly of different technical elements and the effects this material assembly has on the site’s historic context and vice versa.

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West Burn Lane meeting the High Street

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West Burn Lane | Table of Contents

Report Information

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Project Overview

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Construction Programme

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Approach to Conservation Area Site

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Site Location Surrounding Listed Buildings & Site History SUHUHA’s Approach to Massing Brief & Access Comparison with Previous Proposals

Material Systems

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Conclusion

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Bibliography

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Appendix: Drawings Provided by SUHUHA

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Appendix: Construction Programme

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Structure & Construction Material Selection & Elevation of Street Facade Exploded Axonometric of Dwelling Unit Detail Sections of Key Interfaces Analysis of Key Interfaces Material Sourcing

All images included in report are by authors, unless stated otherwise

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West Burn Lane | Project Overview

Brief: 14 dwellings fitting 3 different typologies: 6 town houses, 4 maisonettes and 4 apartments, with associated car parking.

Procurement Method: Traditional SBCC contract Total Area: 1800m2 (between 80m2 and 125m2 per dwelling Client: Eastacre Investments LLP Contract Value: £3,500,000, privately funded Location: West Burn Lane, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland Architects: Sutherland Hussey Harris (SUHUHA) Completed: 2015 Structural Engineer: Morgan Associates M&E: Keenan Consultants Quantity Surveyor: Hardies Landscape Architects: Ironside Farrar Energy Consultant: Gary Mees Acoustics: Charlton Smith Partnership

The site on West Burn Lane has a rich history that dates back to medieval times, when it was used to access the historic burgh. Most of the development of the site began in the 16th century, with evidence of a medieval pottery found there. While there is evidence of 19th century construction in old foundations and brick and stone walls that were found underground, the site was abandoned beforehand.

In 2007, the developers first brought in Draw Architects to design a series of 13 residential units. Their submitted drawings gained conditional approval from Fife Council. Many St Andrews residents expressed displeasure with the planned development, and it was never followed through.

West Burn Lane site before redevelopment Photo Credit: David Wardle © The Courier. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/fife/78583/developer-wins-approval-for-houses-in-centre-of-st-andrews/

In 2010, the developers changed the brief to 14 student housing units and attempted to gain planning permission, this time hiring Covell Matthews Architects. The planning application was refused, this time because of resident’s fear of having the town overridden by students.

Some also expressed the desire for a more contextual architecture.

The client’s lack of success obtaining planning permissions led it to open a closed competition with selected architects. In 2012, the developer invited Reiach & Hall, Cre8, Nicholl Russell and SUHUHA to submit design proposals in this closed competition. SUHUHA’s design won the competition and within months of the decision the firm applied for planning permissions.

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West Burn Lane | Construction Programme

Planning Application for 13 residential units approved with conditions

Application for 14 student dwellings received and refused due to concerns over student numbers Application to extend commencement of 2007 plan is approved Developer invites Reiach & Hall, Cre8, Nicholl Russell and SUHUHA to submit design proposals in a closed competition.

SUHUHA wins the contract.

SUHUHA submit planning application for 6 houses, 4 maisonettes and 4 apartments

Planning application approved by Fife Council

Construction begins on first set of plots

Discharge of Planning Obligations Practical Completion

Lack of progress on site

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2014

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Plot 14 Plots 7&8 Plot 13 Plot 12 Plot 11 Plot 10 Plot 9 Plots 5&6 Plots 1-4

Foundations/Structure/ Brick and Stonework Internal and External Fittings

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West Burn Lane | Construction Programme September 2014

Building Hand-over Timber Flooring Tiles Plasterboard Linings Insulation Strip Scaffold Brickwork Stonework Windows & Openings

Raised Seam Zinc Roof

November 2013

Concrete floor slab Install Scaffold Concrete ground slab Precast Concrete Stair Steelwork Foundations

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West Burn Lane | Site Location

St Andrews Conservation Area West Burn Lane Site

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West Burn Lane | Surrounding Listed Buildings & Site History

Category ‘A’ Listed Buildings Category ‘B’ Category ‘C’

The project’s site is a long plot of land on West Burn Lane, likely created following St Andrews’ medieval ‘rigg’ plan. Located within the town’s Historic Conservation Area, the plot is surrounded

by Listed Buildings which means SUHUHA had to be particularly careful to ensure that the character of the building was contextual and respectful of the surrounding building’s historical character.

This is established in Fife Council’s ‘St Andrews Design Guidelines’ which establishes that new construction should be of a ‘high quality design’ that would ‘enhance the townscape character.’1

Beyond this, the St Andrews Conservation Area is considered an area of archaeological importance, with the Council encouraging architects to get in touch with council members and archeologists to collaborate on determining whether any sites have any archaeological significance. Before being able to request planning permissions, the developer contracted Headland Archaeology to conduct an evaluation of the site’s historical significance. This evaluation included researching old maps and databases of the town, as well as digging trenches in the ground to search for evidence of historic elements. Nothing of any real significance was found,2 though any findings could have affected the design of West Burn Lane.

1 - Fife Council, St Andrews Design Guidelines, Accessed at: http://publications.fifedirect.org.uk/c64_StAndrewsDesignGuidelinesWeb.pdf 2 - Headland Archaeology, Historic Evaluation Report for West Burn Lane, Accessed at: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/files/20296B0808C67B9D28635A79D3AA2F72/pdf/13_00280_FULL-21_-_HISTORIC_EVALUATION_REPORT-959042.pdf

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West Burn Lane | SUHUHA’s Approach to Massing

Medieval ‘rigg plan’ seen through the existing plots

‘In this instance the proposal is considered acceptable in principle given the site is located within the settlement boundary for St Andrews as defined within the Adopted St Andrews and East Fife Local Plan (2012) and would result in the redevelopment of a brownfield site.’3

-Fife Council, Planning Approval Document

In laying out the different dwelling units, SUHUHA focused on the street line of West Burn Lane, namely the series of recesses that reflect the town’s evolution over time and the way the urban grain evolved from medieval ‘rigg plans’ into the town it currently is. This was clearly stated in the Design Statement submitted to Fife Council. The council would usually consider rejecting planning permissions for the development of a project of this scale within the medieval core. However, due to the abandoned nature of the site and SUHUHA’s careful analysis of the surrounding street conditions, this development of a rigg plot was considered appropriate.

Adapting the building footprint to mimic the lane’s recesses

Resulting building footprint and relationship to West Burn Lane

3 - Fife Council, Planning Permission Approval Document, Accessed at https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MHQUTBHFT8000

Existing Surrounding Buildings Medieval Rigg Plots Site Building Recesses along West Burn Lane West Burn Lane Building Footprint

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West Burn Lane | Brief & Access

Building Mix Pedestrian Access

Diagram

The building brief consists of a mix of apartments, maisonettes and townhouses. The apartment block consists of four 2-3 bedroom flats stacked upon eachother. Each maisonette block consist of two 3 bedroom units and the townhouses consist of 4 bedrooms each.

SUHUHA did not design the development to have a particular focus on accessibility, as the entrances to the flats and maisonettes all require stairs.

This development also Pedestrian Access Diagram did not incorporate 25% affordable housing, as is required

by Section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, because the developer thought this would affect its ‘high-end’ quality. The developer opted to pay a commuted sum, ignoring the need for mixed communities or developments. This commuted sum would be used by the council to pay for affordable housing elsewhere.

4 Flats 2 Maisonettes Townhouse Typology 1 Townhouse Typology 2

Access to Dwelling Units

Private access to gardens Access to communal stairwell Primary entrance (front door) Direct Access to private gardens from unit

Access Drawing Credits:

Private access to gardens

SUHUHA Architects, Found on Design Statement Submitted to Fife Council in 2013: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MHQUTBHFT8000

Access to communal stairwell Primary entrance 27 (front door)

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West Burn Lane | Comparison of Different Design Approaches

SUHUHA’s 2013 proposal

Comparing SUHUHA’s approved proposal to the previous, unsuccessful submissions reveals why they were able to achieve planning permissions despite the tricky character of the site. The previous proposals show a lack of contextualisation through massing and, perhaps most importantly, through their material palette. This is also shown in Fife Council’s statement regarding the refusal of previous planning applications for the West Burn Lane site:

‘The planning application was refused on the grounds of impact on visual amenity (design, excessive height and inappropriate finishing materials), impact on skyline, privacy and overshadowing, over-development, road safety (driveway leading on to roundabout), and the overall requirement to pay special attention to the preservation and enhancement of the Conservation Area.’4

-Fife Council, Referring to Previous Proposals for the West Burn Lane site

2007 Proposal for Dwellings

2010 Proposal for Student Housing

4 - Fife Council, Planning Permission Approval Document, Accessed at https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MHQUTBHFT8000 Elevation Credits: SUHUHA Architects, Found on Design Statement Submitted to Fife Council in 2013: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MHQUTBHFT8000 Draw Architects, Elevation Submitted to Fife Council in 2010: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?previousCaseType=Property&keyVal=LB08JOHFT8000&previousCaseNumber=LFW89KHF0MB00&previousCaseUprn=000320299870&activeTab=summary&previousKeyVal=LFW89RHF0MB00 Covell Matthews Architects, Elevation Submitted to Fife Council in 2007: https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=JNSSXQHF0G600

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West Burn Lane | Structure and Construction

West Burn Lane showcases the convergence of traditional (brick and stone) and modern (steel frame) building materials.

While the steel is never expressed in the building construction, the use of a steel frame enabled the more modern, open floor plans of the development, as well as the ability to make alterations to the interior layouts, ensuring the buildings’ longevity. The interfaces between all these materials were likely extremely important in achieving the neat, high quality finish that the developer and the council required.

Zinc roofing

Glass balustrades

Painted aluminium window frames

Steel structure Concrete strip foundation

Danish brick Painted wooden doors

Textured Sandstone

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West Burn Lane | Material Selection Process 1

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In selecting the materials for West Burn Lane, SUHUHA looked to the vernacular architecture of Fife, and St Andrews specifically.

The town’s construction is predominantly sandstone in muted warm tones. While rubble construction is prevalent in much of the historic centre, the region surrounding South Street, where the site is located, featured mostly 19th century sandstone construction, as explained in Fife Council’s ‘Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan’ which is set up to help guide planners. Furthermore, the site is surrounded by rough textured rubble walls at ground level, which the architects sought to emulate. For this reason, SUHUHA chose a light sandstone with a textured finish for the ground level, and a light, creamy Danish brick for the top levels.

The architects also sought to mirror the blueish-grey window frames seen in many buildings throughout St Andrews in the painted aluminium window frames and doors of the buildings.

SUHUHA originally hoped to emulate the harling finish that many historic buildings in Fife had by applying a lime render over the brick, inspired in part by Chipperfield’s ‘Am Kupfergraben’ in Berlin. However, Fife Council did not feel this was appropriate given the setting, and requested the architects leave a light coloured brick exposed instead. To ensure that the architect’s material selection was satisfactory and respectful of the ‘character of the area,’ Fife Council further requested that the architects submit a sample of the cladding materials before construction began.5

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1- Smooth sandstone building in St Andrews 2- Grey-blue window frames in St Andrews 3- Harling finish of building in St Andrews 4- Lime rendered brick at Am Kupfergraben 5- Sandstone and brick cladding at West Burn Lane 6- Grey-blue window frames at West Burn Lane Contextual Materials

Considered Material

Chosen Materials

5 - Section 75 Planning Agreement between Fife Council and SUHUHA. Accessed at https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/files/60139255A48C5136C3063B0D7A38DC82/pdf/13_00280_FULL-S75_AGREEMENT-1032924.pdf Am Kupfergraben Image Credits: M Hiller, Accessed at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mhiller/4263336750/sizes/l/in/photostream/

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West Burn Lane | Material Elevation of Street Facade

Movement joint visible on the side wall of one of the building units

In detailing the brick and stone for the building facades, SUHUHA ensured that the brick walls would be extremely uniform, and based the dimensions of all walls on that of the brick to ensure this. They focused on using uncut bricks, which implied basing all openings and wall dimensions on the dimension of the brick. To really showcase the regularity of uncut bricks, they detailed a more irregular coursing for the stone facing at ground level. This irregular stone also mimics local stone walls.

Contrast between regular brick coursing and irregular stone coursing.

The brick walls also required movement joints to avoid cracks in the bricks as the building and its foundations settled over time. While these are often unsightly, SUHUHA detailed the movement joints so that they would be hidden in the window openings on the West facade, and leaving some exposed on the hidden faces of the buildings. Breaking up the dwelling units into individual buildings ensured that movement joints could be hidden as much as possible, and also provided the street with a maximum amount of daylight and the ability to see vegetation between the separate units.

Brick dimensions determining the width of openings.

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West Burn Lane | Exploded Axonometric of a Dwelling Unit showing structure and cladding Zinc roof

Rigid insulation Steel frame

Aluminium window finishings Rigid insulation

Brick wall

Plasterboard interior

Precast concrete stair Plasterboard interior Wood openings

Concrete floor slab with metal decking

Concrete strip foundation Scale 1:200

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West Burn Lane | Detail Sections of Key Interfaces

Roof to Wall

The interfaces shown on this page were some of the most important details that the architects had to focus on to achieve the highquality, neat finish that was required. These interfaces helped West Burn Lane meet the standard of construction for new developments within the St Andrews Conservation Area and the future residents of these ‘high-end’ dwellings.

SUHUHA was in charge of detailing these interfaces, however, because of the contract type, the contractor would have been responsible for sourcing most of the materials.

Because of the importance of the stone and brick finishing to planners, these would have been some of the only materials that the architects would have established beforehand, in collaboration with planners. This means the architects are unsure of what specific materials the contractor ended up using.

Stone to Brick Stone wall to ground

Scale 1:50 Section through:

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West Burn Lane | Detail Sections of Key Interfaces

Scale 1:50 Section through:

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West Burn Lane | Analysis of Key Interfaces

Sandstone blocks

Brickwork Gypsum wall finish Rigid Insulation

Rigid Insulation Sheathing board Timber board flooring Timber joists Concrete floor slab with metal decking

Timber board flooring Void

Rigid Insulation Concrete blocks

Concrete floor slab with metal decking Steel beam Rigid insulation

Rigid Insulation

Brickwork support bracket Timber window frame cover Aluminium window frame

Concrete Foundation

Triple glazed window

Wall to Floor

Wall to Window

The ground floor of the development is all clad in textured sandstone, the architects specified concrete blocks to carry the wall’s loads down to the concrete strip foundation, as it’s a more cost effective option. The concrete block, however, is thicker than the brick and stone.

While the loads from the concrete floor slabs are transfered directly to the steel columns at specific points throughout the building, the wall loads need to be transferred to the foundation on a continuous basis. Because of this the architects specified strip foundation instead of pad foundation, which would have had a slightly smaller impact on the site ground.

Using pad foundations would have been a more environmentallyfriendly approach to construction, however, due to the architect’s use of concrete floor slabs with metal decking and a steel frame, one can assume that a low environmental impact was not one of their priorities.

As the masonry cladding is self-supporting rather than made in precast panels, it was necessary for the architects to specify a support bracket to hold up the brickwork where there are windows. On the outside of the building, window frames are left exposed, coloured to match the grey-blue colour of local window and door frames. Internally, SUHUHA specified a timber cover which hides the aluminium frame from the inside, as well as linking the windows to the wood finished interiors. This ensures a continuity of materials externally between the buildings and the wider context, and a continuity among the internal spaces. While double glazing is a requirement, the architects went beyond this benchmark by specifying triple glazed windows, which ensure that there is less conduction heat loss through the windows.

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West Burn Lane | Analysis of Key Interfaces Stone to Brick

Petersen ‘D71’ Brick Sheathing board Rigid Insulation Gypsum wall finish Timber board flooring Timber joists Concrete floor slab with metal decking Void Gypsum ceiling finish Steel beam Brickwork support bracket

In order to acheive a ‘seamless’, flush transition from stone to brick, WL Watson & Sons were contracted to cut the stone to the same width as the brick, and in the varying lengths. The Danish bricks by Petersen were made to the specific dimensions of British bricks, in order to ensure that local brickmasons would be able to work with them comfortably, while also ensuring they would not be cut.

The brick is held by a support bracket attached to the sheathing board and rigid insulation which are attached to the steel frame structure. Beyond being supported by this bracket, the bricks and the stone blocks are both tied to the insulation and sheathing board to avoid any further movement. Bricks can not be self-supporting when built over 4m in height, making these brackets required at the second floor height as well.

Achieving a good finish on both of these surfaces would have depended on the quality of work by the stone mason and brick layer. To ensure a good finish, an architect from SUHUHA would have had site visits to ensure that the quality of the finish was satisfactory.

Because of the porosity of the brick surface, weep vents can be seen in some places throughout the brickwork, which allow the materials to breathe and let moisture out.

Sandstone blocks Wall tie

Weep vent in brickwork at West Burn Lane 18

West Burn Lane | Analysis of Key Interfaces

Wall to Ceiling

Standing seam zinc roof Rigid Insulation Void

In order to ensure that the bricks age well and aren’t affected by rain or stagnant water, the top of the walls are fit with a gutter. The specified gutter covers the top course of brick, allowing a continuous air gap between the two. The standing seam zinc roof is oriented with seams that run down the roof, ensuring any water on the roof reaches the gutter. The gutter is also tucked neatly beneath the zinc roofing to ensure there is no stagnant water in the gutter and roof joint.

While SUHUHA were responsible for detailing the system of gutters within the building, drainage strategies and calculations were part of a collaborative process - Ironside Farrar designed a drainage strategy for the buildings, while Micro Drainage were put in charge of calculations for surface water attenuation.

Gypsum ceiling finish Steel beam Insulation Gutter Gypsum wall finish Rigid Insulation Petersen ‘D71’ brick Sheathing board

Roof Finish 19

West Burn Lane | Material Sourcing

The aluminium, steel and concrete were sourced from conventional providers, however, the brick and stone had to be more specialised, and so needed to be sourced from specific providers. While the stone was sourced from a local quarry and stonemason, the specific brick colour needed by the architects had to be sourced from Denmark.

When it came to the issue of storing the materials before construction, another logistical issue was the lack of space because of how small the site is. To deal with this, the full order of brick was held at the Taylor Maxwell storage yard in Edinburgh.

Once the foundations, steel and stone were installed, the brick was delivered to the site, hence avoiding crowding the narrow site with construction materials.

Brick Trajectory Stone Trajectory 20

West Burn Lane | Conclusion

Marrying modern structure and traditional construction materials helped the architects achieve both flexibility and contextualisation that could ensure the longevity of their project. Working within the constraints of a narrow site surrounded by listed buildings and located within an Historic Conservation Area, the architects were under pressure to design buildings of a quality and level of detail that would meet the standard of the surrounding buildings, all while staying within the developer’s budget.

Bringing together the different structural and construction materials in a neat, high quality level of detailing was essential to the project’s success.

While the massing of the building is quite simple, SUHUHA’s careful attention to material selection and detailing and its focus on meeting the planning requirements resulted in an extremely successful project which would go on to receive commendations including RIBA National Award 2015, RIAS Award 2015 and RSA Gold Medal for Architecture.

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West Burn Lane | Bibliography Chappell, David. The Architect in Practice, 9th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, 2005 Fife Council Planning Portal. ‘Section 75 Agreement’ Accessed February 24th 2020. https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/ files/60139255A48C5136C3063B0D7A38DC82/pdf/13_00280_FULL-S75_AGREEMENT-1032924.pdf Fife Council Planning Portal. ‘Planning Approval’ Accessed February 24th 2020. https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/ applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MHQUTBHFT8000 Fife Council. ‘St Andrews Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan’ Accessed February 24th 2020. http://publications. fifedirect.org.uk/c64_StAndrewsDesignGuidelinesWeb.pdf Fife Council. ‘St Andrews Design Guidelines’ Accessed February 24th 2020. http://publications.fifedirect.org.uk/c64_ StAndrewsDesignGuidelinesWeb.pdf Headland Archaeology, ‘Historic Evaluation Report’ Accessed February 25th 2020. https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/ files/20296B0808C67B9D28635A79D3AA2F72/pdf/13_00280_FULL-21_-_HISTORIC_EVALUATION_REPORT-959042.pdf SUHUHA. Accessed February 21st 2020. https://www.suhuha.com/west-burn-lane SUHUHA. ‘West Burn Lane Design Statement’ Accessed February 21st 2020. https://planning.fife.gov.uk/online/ applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=MHQUTBHFT8000

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