Return steeple to its former glory
Campaigners order council to take action
Council chiefs were this week urged to restore a town’s historic jewel to its former glory — once and for all.
Campaigners in Prestwick want the beleaguered Freeman’s Hall reunited with its missing steeple.
Removed in 2011 on safety grounds, the B-Listed structure has been without its iconic spire ever since.
And despite a groundswell of public opinion backing its return, council bosses remain unmoved.
But now officials, citing repair costs of around £600,000, are coming under renewed pressure to cut through red tape.
Alasdair Malcolm, part of a group calling for the steeple’s return, said: “We’re talking about a building which has stood in Prestwick since 1844, serving as everything from a school to a jail to town buildings.
“What should originally have been relatively minor repairs on the steeple has escalated into this, frankly, farcical situation. And what we’ve seen from the four standing councillors has been total ineptitude. It’s been neglect of the building from the local authority, a building they have full responsibility for as custodians and as tenants. It is beyond embarrassing.”
Mr Malcolm and others argue that a previous council decision to block any repair on grounds of cost should now be revisited, giving officers the power to act.
Resident Alex Young added: “More than 80 per cent of people who took part in a public consultation wanted that steeple returned , so what happened to their views?
“We’ve been told by a former councillor that the idea this has to be funded from Common Good cash is a nonsense. It’s little more than a smokescreen.”
Previous ideas aimed to ‘regenerating’ the steeple even included the projection of a laser beam atop the building.
Ex-Prestwick Tory councillor Hugh Hunter, now standing as an independent in the town, backed the idea in 2015, saying it would be “more affordable than building a steeple”. But his views have now changed.
He said: “After having a conversation with someone who has lived in Prestwick all their days, it became clear to me the level of connection that exists between the people and the building.
“The Common Good Fund has been used as a cash cow for many projects in the past, but there are other avenues that could and should be explored here. I fully support any way we can get that steeple returned.”
A council spokesman said: “We are aware that a group has been established and we will engage with the group to discuss the future of the Freeman’s Hall steeple.”