Ayr’s political figures have called for concrete plans regarding the future of the Station Hotel following a fire at the weekend.
A blaze broke out at the empty building on Sunday afternoon with seven fire appliances racing to the scene to tackle the blaze. Ayr train station was evacuated with overhead lines switched off, impacting services to and from the town.
Two 17-year-old boys have since been arrested and charged in connection with the fire and will appear at Ayr Sheriff Court at a later date. Now Ayr’s politicians have called for action before another incident occurs.
Ayr’s MSP Siobhian Brown thanked the emergency services for their fast response and the patience of the travellers whose plans were disrupted.
She said: “I shall await the findings of the investigation into the blaze.
“However we need to prevent this happening again and that’s why I am calling on South Ayrshire Council to take charge of this once and for all. As the planning authority, they need to take ownership of the situation with the Station Hotel and exact some leadership.
“It’s time to get this sorted before another accident happens there.”
South Scotland Conservative List MSP Sharon Dowey says “decisive” and “urgent” action is needed. Ms Dowey said: “Urgent action is needed now. No one has come forward with a plan, or money, to save the Hotel.
“The building is dangerous and all stakeholders need to find a solution before someone is hurt, seriously injured or worse.”
Fellow Tory MSP Brian Whittle said: “The longer the Station Hotel stands there decaying, the greater the risk that it falls victim to fire, vandalism, weather or serious structural failure.
“We’ve all looked long and hard at whether there was a financially credible plan to save the building and sadly it just isn’t there. As much as I’d welcome an eleventh hour miracle solution, we can’t afford to wait forever.
“Sooner rather than later, I think we’re going to have to accept that this white plastic clad limbo can’t last forever.”
South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth said the fire incident “focuses attention” on the lack of plan over the long term future of the former hotel.
He added: “It may be privately owned but as we saw from the disruption caused by the fire, its location is strategically important to Ayr and we need a solution.”
But campaigner Esther Clark, chair of Ayr Station Hotel Community Action Group, is still keen to see that the building is saved.
She said: “Demolition is dangerous, would take forever, and is expensive - £6.5m plus, which is an estimate for the south wing only, not where the fire was.
“It is anti-environment with carbon capture/ release, polluting with dust so is a health risk, and would undermine the townscape. We have enough gaps in the town.”
South Ayrshire Council have been contacted for comment.
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