Demolition of Ayr Station Hotel halted after legal challenge

Demolition work at the Ayr Station Hotel has been suspended after the building's owner launched a legal challenge.

The Category B listed building was deemed to be unsafe following a major fire last September and safety work at the site was started by South Ayrshire council in April.

The building's owner has launched a court appeal to stop the demolition.

The case will be heard at the Court of Session on Friday.

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Council confirmed work at the site has been temporarily suspended.

The building is owned by Malaysian property tycoon Ung Eng Huat, who also goes by the name Sunny Ung. He claims the council did not give him "adequate notice" of the work, according to the Daily Record.

The council said it had made attempts to contact him concerning the condition of the building and described him as an "absentee owner".

The building's tower was deliberately set ablaze in September

The council began safety works at the site last month, under section 29 of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 to protect the public and surrounding infrastructure.

This includes removing the remainder of former hotel's tower and half of the northern section, work that was deemed necessary after the building was "extensively damaged" by two fires in the space on four months.

Three teenagers were charged with wilful fire-raising following the second fire in September.

Rail services from Ayr to Glasgow and have been disrupted since and some roads around the site were closed until January.

The work was set to be completed by 17 June.

In 2018, a dangerous building notice was issued and the former hotel was wrapped in a protective scaffolding.

The building's protected status means the local authority cannot legally remove any more of the structure than absolutely necessary.

Designed by Scottish engineer Andrew Galloway, Ayr Station Hotel originally catered for an affluent clientele holidaying on the coast when it opened in 1855.

In more recent years it has held parties and weddings as well as being a key landmark for commuters in the town centre.