Save Ayr's Station Hotel: South Ayrshire Council must move heaven and earth to spare landmark building from wrecking ball – Scotsman comment

Every generation must take its duty to be custodians of Scotland’s heritage seriously

The Station Hotel building in Ayr was severely damaged by a fire in September (Picture: John Devlin)

As The Scotsman has said on many occasions, Scotland’s built heritage is incredibly important. As examples go, the Station Hotel in Ayr was a particularly fine one, until it fell into disrepair and was severely damaged by a major fire in September.

Therefore, every effort should be made to save the B-listed building – built in 1885 and described by campaign group Save Britain's Heritage as “one of the country's grandest railway hotel buildings”. So it is heartening to hear from Scottish Labour MSP Paul Sweeney that a hotelier is interested in the site, but equally disheartening to hear him criticise South Ayrshire Council for its lack of cooperation and “extremely poor engagement”.

Safety must be a priority and it is important to ensure the building’s structure is secure enough to allow a nearby road to re-open and trains to run again. But the authorities must move heaven and earth to try to save this landmark hotel. Every generation must take its duty to be custodians of Scotland’s heritage seriously or this country will gradually lose a vital part of its identity.