Waverley fiasco goes on

There was a full page advert in the Scottish Daily Mail detailing the PS Waverley schedule.

Ayr barely gets a mention and Girvan has ceased to exist.

It certainly is a Glasgow centric operation and always has been for people to have a trip “doon the watter.”

It is an enjoyable day out, but it is not designed for much more than millpond- type conditions. Operators realise this as Campbeltown and Ballycastle trips are also off the radar.

No one wants a fiasco. However, they had been happy to accept a sizeable subsidy from South Ayrshire Council when Glasgow ought to have been doing it. Mind you, with the fares, they should not require public money at all.

On a better note, may I take this chance to thank the Ayrshire Post for the great night at the horse racing at Ayr which I won in your competition. longer have the luxury of demolishing the fragile structure of our towns like that and the cynic in me wonders who is gaining financially from this ‘ regeneration’.

I’d be interested to have a transparent answer to the cost of acquiring these buildings and the names of companies which have been awarded contracts for demolishing and rebuilding.

But why promote out of town retail parks when the town centre is in terminal decline? And Brighthouse in Ayr ... Why? Brighthouse entices people on low incomes to buy items on repayment terms which cause financial hardship. This sucks the life out of towns leaving many much worse off and reducing disposable income for other traders. Ban Brighthouse and it’s ilk from town centres!

Lastly on the subject of our built heritage. It’s time to put the spire back on The Freemen’s Hall in Prestwick.

If Councillors address some of these fundamentals South Ayrshire citizens may begin to feel it makes a difference who you vote for at local level. Tuesday two weeks ago.

The service, which left Buchanan Street at 2.25pm arrived in Ayr at 5.20pm. The bus overheated and the driver pulled over near Fenwick on the hard shoulder. He should have taken the slip road but instead we had to sit on the motorway with lorries passing causing us to rock. It was very scary. The only ventilation was through the back door, which was left open. The sweat was running off me. We sat on the bus for one and a half hours. Despite having a bus pass, I will get the train in future. I would like to know, when the local council are going to wake up and clean up our town as it has never been so filthy and full of beggars, drunks and drug addicts.

These are from the Station Hotel all the way down the town and it is an absolute disgrace.

If they are not going to do anything then they need to go as they are getting paid for nothing to help what was a lovely town. On passing Ayr Academy last week I could not help but notice the removal vans at the school emptying the building.

This must be a sad time for all former pupils and teachers who attended the school. I have a few friends who had attended Ayr Academy and I asked them if they could name the three busts above the entrance. None could.

I would have thought from day one on entering the school it would have been drummed into pupils who they were. Of the three busts one is obvious. I am keen to hear from anyone who could name the three busts. Regarding the Riverside Project at the bottom of the High Street, here is a very simple suggestion... ‘ space’.

This would mean no building on either side of that part of the river except for perhaps a small cafe/ restaurant.

Thanks to Ayrshire’s own Robert Burns the ‘ Twa Brigs’ are world famous.

There is a sort of ‘ Twa Brig Riverside Square’ sandwiched between these bridges, so why not keep this whole riverside square open on both sides?

Visit any European city/ town that has a river running through it and most likely you’ll find bench seats enabling visitors and locals to enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting next to the river enjoying the open air.

On one side you’d have the council’s proposed flower beds and bench seats with nothing beside them except for the cafe at the bottom.

Across the river the old “minging” toilets would be knocked down and in their place? Nothing. Except a number of bench seats lined down allowing people to enjoy it from both sides.

There is absolutely no need for the council to award and build an ivory, sorry, glass tower to look down from while the rest of us crank our necks looking up at the eyesore.

It was only last year they were going to build themselves brand new offices in the revamped Kyle Centre. Why for heaven’s sake? The council should be nowhere near a town centre, full stop.

This is Ayr’s opportunity to create a wee haven of a corner which I’m sure would be appreciated by most people.

Where better to bring it to life than the world renowned ‘ Twa Brigs’? And with the bonus of waterlife, what’s to lose?

Lastly, apart from the vast amount of money that would be saved by not building can I mention that many psychiatrists, doctors and even world renowned architects extol the benefits and sense of wellbeing brought about by enjoying open spaces.

Remember, once a building goes up it’s there for years - is this what the Ayr folk really want?