Tourist town welcomes 'eternal eyesore' demolition

Louise Woods said it was "brilliant" that the hotel was being demolished

The picturesque former spa town of Moffat is in line for one its biggest changes in decades.

For years people in the Dumfriesshire burgh have endured what many call "an eyesore" and "a monstrosity" sitting by the main through road into the town.

The derelict former Mercury Hotel, overlooking the A701 on the main route in from the A74(M) motorway, is scheduled to be demolished.

The removal of the building, which is likely to take more than a month to complete, is the latest episode of a saga that has rumbled on since it was closed in 1999.

The old Mercury Hotel sits next to the entrance to Moffat

The dilapidated building, which has stood empty for a quarter of a century, is now owned by Equorium Property Company Ltd, a subsidiary of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM).

Permission was granted by Dumfries and Galloway Council in November to bulldoze the site, at an estimated cost of about £150,000.

Louise Woods, 35, who lives in the town with her young family said it had "felt like an eternal eyesore", and a blot on the local landscape.

She said: "I didn't realise the demolition was happening until Thursday night, but I think it's great, it's brilliant that it is finally getting taken down.

"It's rotting, it's horrible, we can't use it for anything, it has just felt like an eternal eyesore coming into the town, and we're supposed to be a tourist destination.

"It's not a very good first impression when we're promoting ourselves to visitors."

Local businessman Kevin Neilson believes the site can be "an opportunity"

Kevin Neilson has lived in the town for 17 years, he has only ever known it to be a boarded-up and decaying site, but believes it "presents real opportunities".

The 39-year-old said: "Sadly it is just an eyesore, Moffat is such a lovely town but you drive in and that's on the right hand side, it's not what you want to see and it's not very appealing.

"As it stands, it's a waste of space, something needs to be done, and it's even worse when you drive around it to the supermarket.

"It needs to be regenerated so that it's a lot more attractive for locals and visitors to the town.

"It needs to be addressed and there are real opportunities there to do something with it. I think that whatever happens to the site, we need to think about future generations, and not just the here and now."

Maryjane Kerr wants to see something done for young people

Maryjane Kerr remembers the site as a thriving hotel she used to frequent with friends before its sudden closure in 1999.

The 53-year-old believes it is an opportunity to create a space for teenagers and young adults who "feel that Moffat has nothing to offer them".

She said: "When it was in its glory days it was nice, it was a really nice place.

"The locals used it, as well as visitors.

"Obviously, as it has sat derelict it's no longer what it was and instead it has a negative effect on visitors coming into the town, so I feel it is good that it's finally getting flattened."

She said the hotel used to have a "nice atmosphere" and it was "quite a loss" when it closed.

"At the time it felt quite sudden, I guess it was a bit of a shock, it was open one day and just closed the next," she said.

There have been attempts to make the former hotel more pleasing on the eye

Moffat and District Community Council has pushed for a long time to see action take place to improve the site - which covers 0.35 hectares (0.86 acres) - with concerns about vandalism, squatters and vermin - with evidence of rats.

It even arranged for images of sheep to cover up some of the boarded-up windows.

In 2015 there was talk of transforming the former hotel site into a training centre for chefs but that never progressed.

The current plans are much more modest as, following demolition, it will serve as an additional car park for the town.

Richard Musgrave-Wood wants to see a positive change

Richard Musgrave-Wood said he would only believe the building was coming down when the work actually started.

The owner of the Moffat Outdoors shop said: "I moved here 10 years ago and it's sadly been in that state for a lot longer.

"For me, ripping it down and putting something that is of more use and more aesthetically pleasing has got to be the way ahead.

"Ideally I'd like to see a Tourist Information Centre being put there, it's something we're really missing as a visitor-focused town."

EWM has been approached for comment.

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