Local MSP Brian Whittle is calling on South Ayrshire Council bosses to get local politicians around the table to discuss the situation at the Station Hotel.
The South Scotland MSP has written to the Council calling for a summit with all the local politicians who represent the communities affected by the disruption at Ayr Station, including politicians in Dumfries and Galloway.
MSP Brian, who recently secured permission for rail replacement buses to avoid a lengthy detour when the A77 was closed for work, wants to see more detail about what’s going on being made available to the public sooner.
Shortly after the Council put an exclusion zone in place around the Station, a Task Force was created to deal with the situation. The group, which includes representatives from South Ayrshire Council, Dumfries & Galloway Council, Transport Scotland, Scotrail, Network Rail, Historic Environment Scotland and Scottish Government officials, is to determine what work is needed to get train services running again and consider longer term options for the future of the site.
Despite initial hopes that cladding the building in scaffolding would allow train services to be restored south of Ayr before the end of the month, the latest reports suggest that, having now been able to look at the building’s roof more closely, it’s in a far worse condition than expected.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“It’s clear there’s still a lot of uncertainty around what’s going to happen with the station hotel, and in communities south of Ayr there’s a real feeling that it’s a case of two steps forward, one step back.
From the moment the exclusion zone was put in place, I’ve been contacted by constituents who are concerned that they aren’t getting a clear enough picture of what’s going on. Of course, the top priority has to be restoring rail services as soon as possible, but it’s important that the public have a clear understanding of this process and know what to expect.
I want politicians from South Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway to have the chance to speak to the team working on this and get a clear understanding of where we are now, what’s being considered, what the next steps are and what challenges remain.
I hope South Ayrshire Council will accept my request to hold a summit about the Station Hotel. If they don’t then I’m fully prepared to organise it myself.”
