Bob Shields

You wait years for some good news about Ayr town centre’s redevelopment and all of a sudden... two major breakthroughs arrive at the same time!

South Ayrshire Council, Ayr Renaissance, the designers, architects and everyone else involved in the new River Square project are to be congratulated.

I am pleased to add my name to the list of all those saying things like “it looks great”, “the town needed this” and “it’s not before time”.

And just as this bout of back- slapping reached epidemic proportions – news came in of a major advance on the ‘ second front’ of our redevelopment battle.

The owners of Ayr Station Hotel have given the first hint that they might consider selling the building to someone who knows what the hell to do with it!

The £ 30 million riverside project is being hailed as “transformational” and a “saviour” to the town. A bit over the top... but I’m prepared to run with it for now.

A few weeks ago, I had my tongue in cheek when I suggested that the dramatic wrecking ball denouement of this dilapidated district should be advertised as a local event.

And now, being serious, I can actually imagine there would a fair amount of spectator interest in watching a chunk of Ayr’s history finally being laid waste.

Not being in the demolition business, I’m not sure if it’s possible or feasible to arrange a dramatic “Walls of Jericho” moment for a particular day or hour.

But if it was, I think a five figure crowd would be excited to line the north bank of the River Ayr and watch its ugly southern counterpart - familiar to generations – finally tumble and crumble into the rubble of reminiscence. I know I’d be there! But the last time this subject graced these pages – I asked a very simple question. And months on... I’m still waiting for a very simple answer.

Who is paying for all this?

The “£ 30 million transformation” headline is easy to read – but obviously a little harder to explain.

I’m sure I’m just one of many interested council tax payers who is still in the dark about how River Square is going to... er... work?

If South Ayrshire Council