Station Hotel: Ayr architect urges authorities to save building

Robin Ghosh, whose Econstruct company restored fire-ravaged Seafield and turned it into luxury flats, believes there is still hope for the ailing building, which has already been earmarked for partial demolition by South Ayrshire Council.

He spoke to the Advertiser just days after a fire broke out in the premises, adding to the concerns over its future.

And he insists that a new owner can be found, if the building is restored using partnership working - with strong hints that it could operate as a hotel once again.

Two teenage boys have been charged in connection with the blaze on Sunday, May 28.

Robin Gosht and his partner Derek Shennan saved Seafield House (Image: Charlie Gilmour)

Seafield House was left a gaping shell after a devastating blaze in April 2008 - and its remarkable transformation was unveiled to the public last month.

Robin was raised in Ayr and believes restoring the hotel could help regenerate the increasingly run down town centre.

He said: “We were heavily involved in Seafield and recognise the problems these buildings are facing.

"It is not about the repair cost, the challenge is finding an end user.

“I have just fixed Seafield, which was in a much worse condition than the Station Hotel. After the fire, it was exposed to the elements for years.

“This could be a fantastic success story for the town.

“The Station Hotel can be seen all over Ayr, and yet we are thinking of demolishing part of it. It is a hare-brained solution.

“Every year, the town gets worse and it won’t get better by itself.”

South Ayrshire Council (SAC) documents published earlier this year revealed that the authority had been approached in November 2022 by a developer expressing an interest in taking on the former hotel - but that the developer walked away just two days later.

The identity of the potential rescuer has never been disclosed.

Robin revealed: “Econstruct were involved with the owners back in 2016 because they had someone interested in leasing the hotel.

“But the council served a dangerous building notice on it. There was no access to the building until it could be made safe.

"The person interested fell unwell and the project didn’t happen.”

The hotel lay empty for some years, with the building falling into poor condition.

Then in 2018, matters came to a head when contractors found crumbling and exposed roof areas at the hotel and the building was deemed unsafe by SAC officials.

An exclusion zone was set up at Ayr railway station – leading to massive disruption for commuters lasting several months.

Action groups were formed, and ideas were put forward - but in November, councillors backed a proposal to demolish the southern section of the hotel.

However, it was agreed that no demolition work could take place until the last attempts to force the hotel’s absentee owner into carrying out repairs himself were exhausted – a process which is expected to take around 18 months.

Robin revealed he and his team had previously approached SAC with a plan to turn the hotel into a new council headquarters.

Seafield House was restored by Robin and his team (Image: Charlie Gilmour)

He told the Advertiser: “I wondered what it would be useful for, and I felt it was a new council headquarters. They were looking at the time, and the hotel could accommodate them exactly the same as a new building would.

“It was decided not to proceed – that was a political decision, to be honest.

"I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity, with staff based more in the town centre, bringing footfall to the area. The owners would have jumped through hoops to work with the council.

“I had further talks later about that. They quite liked home working, so there was no need for new council offices. That said it all.”

In March, councillors approved the spending of an additional £500,000 of local taxpayers' cash to keep the 'encapsulation' measures around the hotel's southern wing in place until September this year.

The demolition work agreed in September is expected to cost £6.6 million - and the council has already warned that without a solution soon, the ongoing burden on its own coffers "will eventually deplete the council’s uncommitted reserves below tolerable levels". 

Robin continued: “This issue requires thinking outside the box.

“The approach with the scaffolding wasn’t to address the problem.  It is bracing some of the roof, but not fixing it.

"It would have been more appropriate and financially viable to spend it on trying to rectify the issues.

“The next stumbling block is building standards, who are making it difficult for anyone trying to look at options. I would act on behalf of the owner, but building standards are preventing us from doing that.

“I am doing this in my spare time, trying to fix this problem for the town. Wouldn’t it be great if the council can use their fantastic resources to make something happen?

“But the current situation is almost putting everyone else off.

“Now part of the building has been approved for demolition, the south section.

"At the moment, there might be scope to take something on. It is the last chance the building might have  but it requires partnership working and some thinking outside the box.”

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Council said last week: “The council made a decision in December 2022 to demolish the southern section of the privately owned building and we’re working with our partners to achieve this and find a long-term solution for the site."

A spokesperson for Network Rail told the Advertiser: "We are continuing to provide financial support to keep the building secure and maintain rail services for Ayr and the wider community.

"In addition, we’re working closely with South Ayrshire Council, ScotRail, Transport Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland to examine options as part of the Ayr station strategic governance group.

"South Ayrshire Council is leading this process, and an options review report is being produced setting out the next steps for the hotel."