Money for NOTHING
And the criticism for free...
Ill- fated designs to revamp Ayr town centre have cost council bosses almost £ 100,000.
Architect fees have soared despite the project being savaged, the Ayrshire Post has learned.
Drawings for a new build council office at the foot of the town – labelled a “cut and paste job” by critics – have so far cost officials £ 96,767.
Glasgow- based Keppie Architects have been paid the sum for their work on the project, which was thrown out by councillors last month.
It follows the revelation that total costs for the much- maligned project have reached £ 327,000.
Bosses at Ayr Renaissance, the group tasked with leading change in the town, are now desperate to find a Plan B over the summer.
But they will battle against the backdrop of rising costs for the so- called dawning of a new era.
It’s understood senior councillors are also growing “increasingly concerned” at the amount of money thrown at the project without any return.
One said: “There is a growing shift to abandon the plan altogether.
“The Riverside project has become a PR disaster and no matter what we do from here, the legacy of that failed office block will loom large.”
The council’s opposition group leader, Tory Martin Dowey, hit out at the level of spend.
He said: “This might have been a good use of public money had the design stuck to the masterplan.
“As it was, we got what many perceived to be a cut and paste job that was totally out of keeping with its surroundings.
“Now we’re back at the drawing board and almost six figures down the line.”
A council spokesman said: “All payments are in line with the project’s expected costs.”
This might have been a good use of public money had the design stuck to the masterplan Martin Dowey