Safety concerns at crumbling hotel force closure of main entrance at Ayr Train Station
Owners of the former Station Hotel have failed to act on a dangerous building notice
Last updated 2nd Jul 2018
The ongoing row over safety concerns at the former Station Hotel in Ayr has forced South Ayrshire Council to take emergency measures.
The main entrance to the station is now closed, along with the ticket office and self-service machines. Passengers can now only access the station at Platform 4, or use a temporary entrance at Platform 1, while extra staff are on hand to sell tickets.
The local authority has had to step in after the building’s owners failed to respond to a statutory warning notice issued in March, setting out a number of immediate repairs that were required. These were focused around:
• Defective sandstone on elevations and gables;
• Loose/unsecure downpipes;
• Loose slates and decorative ironworks repairs; and
• The removal of the Station Hotel sign from the roof.
But the owners failed to take any action in response to this and the Council had to put in additional screens and fencing to increase security, prevent access to the dangerous building and minimise the potential risk to the public.
Ongoing monitoring by the Council since then has found the deterioration in the building is only getting worse, and is now considered an immediate risk to public safety.
It’s now extended the perimeter and exclusion zone around the hotel building, and instructed works to address the defects identified in the Dangerous Buildings Notice.
The works – which get underway on site from Monday, mean access to the train station is now limited, although it’s not thought train services will be effected
As well as closing the main entrance and ticket office, the car park is now partially closed, along with female and accessible toilets, although other facilities are available.
Full details of the changes in place are available on Scotrail’s website.
Councillor Douglas Campbell, Leader of South Ayrshire Council said: "As I’ve said before, the Station Hotel is privately owned and should be maintained to a safe standard by its owners.
“However, as they have failed to do this – and have shown no signs of taking action – we have a statutory duty to step in and ensure we keep our residents and visitors safe.
“This is obviously not a decision we’ve taken lightly, but is one we are forced to take. While our priority is – and has to be – public safety, we do recognise that the works we now have to undertake will impact on people travelling to and from Ayr, and those in the immediate vicinity of the station.
“We’re working closely with colleagues in Network Rail and ScotRail to minimise the impact on both the running of the train station and on our residents and visitors, and we appreciate their understanding around this and their quick response to put alternative arrangements in place.
“This is a regrettable situation that has been brought about due to the lack of action by the hotel owners and our focus must be on ensuring we meet our statutory responsibilities and protect public safety.”
David Lister, ScotRail Sustainability and Safety Assurance Director, added: “We’re working with South Ayrshire Council to support them in addressing concerns about the former Ayr Station Hotel.
“To allow for the initial work to take place safely, we’ve had to make some changes to how customers access the station.
“The main station entrance and ticket office, as you approach from Ayr town centre, will be closed temporarily. Extra staff will be on hand to help direct customers.”
The Council will be pursuing the recovery of any costs incurred for the works undertaken with the hotel building owners.