Exclusive:Sale of fire-ravaged station hotel 'must be forced to benefit town'
People ‘fed up’ with impasse surrounding historic site
A Scottish local authority has been urged to use compulsory purchase powers to take over the site of a fire-ravaged landmark in order to press ahead with redevelopment plans.
The future of Ayr’s Station Hotel remains unclear following a devastating blaze in September 2023 which gutted the Victorian listed building.
Nearly two years have passed since South Ayrshire Council carried out urgent safety works at the historic structure, which involved partial demolition.
Since then, however, the long-term plans for the prominent site have been shrouded in doubt, in large part due to ownership issues. The former hotel, which had been in a state of disrepair long before the fire, is owned by Ung Eng Huat, a Malaysian businessman, with a smaller part of the site belonging to Network Rail.
Now, a former SNP MSP has called on the local authority to pursue a compulsory purchase order (CPO) so that the key site in Ayr town centre can be redeveloped.
Siobhian Brown, who is campaigning to be re-elected as the MSP for Ayr at this month’s Holyrood election, said people in the town were “fed up” and wanted a “resolution” to the long-running issue, as opposed to “more excuses or buck passing.”
However, the council said any suggestion that it was not working collaboratively with Network Rail and others, or was not “acting proactively,” was “entirely without foundation.”
The building, designed by the noted engineer Andrew Galloway, originally catered for an upmarket clientele holidaying on the west coast of Scotland when it opened in 1855.
However, it has endured a torrid time over the past decade, with a dangerous building notice issued in 2018, leading to the building being covered in protective scaffolding.
The fire in September 2023 was the second to take hold at the derelict building in the space of just four months, causing widespread disruption to rail services.
Little progress has been made since the council completed its urgent works at the B-listed building in June 2024 in order to address the risk of collapsing chimneys, fire damaged supporting beams, and crumbling walls.
The works, carried out under section 29 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2023, led to the removal of the hotel’s southern section, its tower, and the first three bays of its northern section. The remaining part of the building is deemed to be in poor condition, although it is not classed an immediate safety risk, meaning it cannot be removed under the same legislation.
Amid concern that the building could be lost altogether, the Save Britain’s Heritage Group has called for the hotel’s north wing and clock tower to be saved and retained as part of plans to upgrade Ayr station and the surrounding area.
Ms Brown said: “I recognise this is a complex situation. There is an absent Malaysian landlord, and Network Rail owns a small portion of the site due to Ayr train station. However, South Ayrshire Council has consistently maintained that it is not their role to rebuild train stations, and responsibility has been shifted elsewhere, resulting in little meaningful action.
“As a councillor I was repeatedly told that South Ayrshire Council’s sole responsibility was to ensure public safety - nothing more. I have since had many conversations with other councils and MSPs where councils have been proactive and taken action. Dundee train station is an example of where the council proactively worked with Transport Scotland.“
Ms Brown pointed to the willingness of Glasgow City Council to pursue a CPO in the wake of March’s major fire on Union Street as an example of “how things can be handled” by local authorities. “Councils have the powers to do this and at present, they are the only bodies that do,” she explained.
“To put this into perspective: if that fire had spread and severely damaged Glasgow Central Station itself, would Glasgow City Council have expected Network Rail to take responsibility for neighbouring private land? Of course not. Yet that is effectively the situation we have seen persist in Ayr.
“Network Rail owns less than 20 per cent of the Station Hotel site, but South Ayrshire Council continues to look to them to lead redevelopment of the whole area. The council is currently pursuing the landlord through the Malaysian courts. In my view, this could take years, incur significant cost, and delay any real progress.”
A South Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “Our safety works at the former station hotel were completed in June 2024. The council does not own the hotel or the site, but we recognise the importance of this issue to Ayr and the wider area. Legal proceedings against the owner remain ongoing.
"Any suggestion that the council is not working collaboratively with Network Rail and others, or is not acting proactively, is entirely without foundation.
“A sustainable solution can only be achieved through a range of partners working together. Any solution would need to be affordable and reflect a wider plan for the site. These are complex issues, not least given the need to safeguard public money.
"This collaboration must also include the Scottish government given the strategic and economic importance of Ayr Station. We look forward to discussing the future for the station, including funding requirements, with the Scottish government following the Scottish Parliamentary elections."
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