£2m spent and nothing to show
Riverside proposals set to go before councillors
First there was plan A, followed by plan B and now on to plan C with not a single brick laid at a landmark public site.
Three architects have all been involved in producing different plans for the razed Riverside site at the bottom of Ayr High Street. A total of £428,971 has been spent on hiring architects and other related costs according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Earlier drawings for the plot have been ditched.
South Ayrshire councillors are due to vote on the third design for the waterfront from Austin-Smith:Lord next month. The designs show a public park and community building.
Demolition costs of clearing the plot, which included the old Woolworths, have amounted to about £767,000.
Council leader Peter Henderson, SNP, said: “We can’t afford for this to go on. Architect plans have a cost. We must have decent plans. We are duty bound to rethink when objections come in.”
He said the issue had been inherited from the previous Conservative and Labour administration, which kickstarted the project. Councillor Henderson said: “It is a legacy issue we have to deal with.”
Conservative leader Councillor Martin Dowey said: “We are waiting over four years for a plan at the bottom of the High Street.
“What goes in there needs to be right. We need a proper consultation. There is no point in rushing now.”
The first vision for the area from architects Niall McLaughlin and Charles Jencks included a hotel, huge council office and restaurants. A total of £53,971 was splashed out by regeneration group Ayr Renaissance on designs for the masterplan concept. Dating back to 2016, it was abandoned.
Next came a design from Keppie, which included a big office – costing £150,000 on fees and consultation. It sparked more than 300 objections and was rejected at a council Regulatory Panel planning meeting in 2018. Concerns were voiced that it did not follow the earlier masterplan.
The latest bid has seen £225,000 paid out on fees and consultation. The planning application, which was lodged in March will go before councillors on July 13. It has prompted a number of objections and supporting comments.
Objector Andrew Russell, from Ayr, is not happy about the community pavilion in the latest design. He described it as resembling “a shed or 70’s primary school dinner building of no architectural quality befitting of a town centre attraction.”
A supporting comment submitted to the coucil by Nick Lambert said: “Looks
We can’t afford for this to go on. We must have decent plans Peter Henderson
good and will help towards much needed improvement for Ayr Town Centre. Will be excellent community hub.”
A council spokesman said: “The regeneration of Ayr is a key priority and the riverside development is an important part of this. Following the removal of unsafe buildings and the clearance of the site, a masterplan was created for the plot.
“The first part of the masterplan to be brought forward was the development of a new council office. Objections were raised during the planning process and it became clear that people wanted the site to remain as open as possible.
“This led to a new design incorporating a community hub and events space. There has been a lot of consultation on this project but we wanted people to have their say and influence the designs.”