Councillors vote on paying to keep Ayr Station Hotel under wraps
Demolition plans are being held up by lack of funding
Ayr's dilapidated Station Hotel is expected to be kept under wraps until next May, with councillors to be asked to approve another £744k to maintain encapsulation and traffic management.
A special meeting of South Ayrshire Council will be held today, where councillors will hear that there have been delays in hiring an expert to support the demolition work around the hotel.
It also confirms that no alternative proposals for the building have been forthcoming.
In March the council had agreed to the appointment of the expert at the same time as handing over £500k to maintain the encapsulation until the end of September.
Now the council will be asked to approve funding of £744k to maintain this until next May, with the Scottish Government set to cover half of this.
READ MORE: Report recommends demolition
No money for demolition
The report states: “The demolition of Ayr Station Hotel involves complex technical and statutory considerations.
“Reflecting these complexities, the Council experienced some delay in procuring an expert suitably qualified to undertake the work of developing a programme of works for demolition.
“Surveys are now commencing and will be undertaken over the next four months.”
Details around the demolition, costs and timescales is expected to be completed by February.
However, the report makes it clear that the council has no funding in place to carry out any demolition work and that, should money be found, there would be a series of legal processes to be carried out.
READ MORE: Nearly a thousand defects in derelict building
The council says that monthly meetings with Network Rail, Scotrail and Transport Scotland have been ‘highly constructive’.
Transport Scotland has commissioned a development vision for a new Ayr Transportation Interchange which could replace the existing Ayr rail station and the former Ayr Station Hotel.
However, this work is at an early stage.
Councillors will also hear that the Scottish Government had agreed to reinstate a previous arrangement where it would pay half of the encapsulation costs.
Vision for new station
The report continues: “It would be beneficial for any decision to demolish the southern wing of Ayr Station Hotel to be taken within the context of a development strategy for the area.
This includes the improvement works at Burns Statue Square agreed as part of the Ayr West ward improvement programme.
Consultants have been hired to take this plan forward ‘with a focus on this southern gateway’ area. However, it is expected that a draft strategy will not be in place for consideration for more than a year.
A key recommendation of this report will be the seeking of agreement to undertake a public consultation on the draft development strategy.
The report added: “The Council has continued to engage with local community action groups and developers on potential options to redevelop the Ayr Station Hotel.
“To date no new feasible use or user has been identified with sufficient capital to enable the restoration of the dangerous building.
“Officers are continuing to work in partnership with the Ayr Station Hotel Strategic Governance Group to develop a shared vision for the Ayr rail station, a solution to the dangerous building and a longer term solution to the wider former Ayr Station Hotel that meets with mutually shared accessibility and placemaking objectives.”