Former Station Hotel - Safety Work Update - 17 October 2023

This is an archived article from 17 October 2023. 

South Ayrshire Council are continuing to carry out urgent safety works at the former Station Hotel building. 

Control of the site was handed over to the Council on 28 September 2023. Since then, we've been working closely with partners to ensure the area around the site is safe.

Work has already been undertaken to remove loose timbers and debris from the top of the exposed tower and adjacent roofline.

While it is still not safe to access the building, our structural engineers have assessed the drone footage that was taken last week.  They have advised that the fire has caused extensive damage to the southern section of the building.  The footage also suggests that the external walls of the southern section may be at risk of falling.

The next stage of the safety works will, when it is safe to do so, involve a specialist contractor removing any potential danger at the southern gable and adjacent southern part of the building. These safety works may include partial or full demolition, however it is too early to say if this will be required. We expect this work will begin on Monday 23 October.

It's anticipated that this stage will take around 8 - 9 weeks, however, due to the dangerous condition of the building restricting accessibility, and subject to weather conditions, this timescale will be kept under constant review.

Leader of South Ayrshire Council, Councillor Martin Dowey said: "The Council has a statutory duty to carry out urgent safety works to dangerous buildings to reduce or remove danger to the public.  Our officers have been working closely with partners at Network Rail, ScotRail, Scottish Rail Holdings, Transport Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland to progress essential safety works at the former Station Hotel building. I know the situation is causing ongoing disruption to road and rail travel and we're working collaboratively to minimise this.

"I met with the Scottish Minister for Transport last week, where we discussed the need to bring this situation to a safe conclusion as soon as possible."

David Simpson, ScotRail Service Delivery Director, said: "The devastating fire at the station has had a significant impact on ScotRail rail services in the southwest of Scotland. Our immediate focus was on ensuring the safety of our passengers and putting in alternative travel and rail services as quickly as possible.

"Looking to the future, as efforts to make the building safe progress, we will continue to work with South Ayrshire Council, Network Rail, and other partners as we seek to restore rail services."

A replacement bus service is in place for rail passengers travelling to and from Ayr.  Details are available at www.scotrail.co.uk