Hope for Ayr station hotel?

FOLLOWING a second devastating fire on September 23, there is optimism that Ayr station hotel might be saved for the community.

As reported last month, a deliberately started fire caused considerable further damage to the hotel, and led to ScotRail services being suspended as the station and canopy is linked to the hotel.

Since the blaze, the site has been sealed off for safety reasons and there have been inspections of the damage using both drones and a highlevel platform. Further safety work began on October 4. The site has now been handed over to South Ayrshire Council.

With the council’s preferred option of demolishing the building’s south wing, a group of more than 20 architects and conservationists spearheaded by conservation charity SAVE Britain’s Heritage have written to the council pleading with them to save the hotel.

The letter calls on the council to begin compulsory purchase proceedings against the owner as ‘the vital first steps to bring the building back to useful life’.

Architect Gordon Murray, who worked on the refurbishment of Glasgow Central station, has said the decision to demolish the structure would be ‘both ironic and foolhardy’, adding that reuse and renovation is central to any sustainable regeneration, especially as many Scottish towns are struggling economically and physically.

The collective view of the architects is being supported by Ayr Station Hotel Community Action group, and the group SAVE Britain’s Heritage wrote to the council offering the services of an experienced conservation structural engineer to undertake a detailed survey of the fire-damaged areas.

With no decision on demolition as we closed for press, the option of compulsory purchase, possibly by the

Ayr Development Trust, as a precursor to possible restoration, was being investigated.

Meanwhile, ScotRail services remain suspended from Glasgow to Ayr until further notice.