Housing plans could see hotel demolished

Oct 2 2009 by Stuart Wilson

A DEVELOPER wants to bulldoze an Ayr hotel to make way for new homes.

An application to demolish the Old Racecourse has been made to South Ayrshire Council.

But neighbours are furious at the prospect of the hotel being replaced by modern homes in the conservation area.

Ambitious plans have been drawn up for 11 flats and three townhouses at the site.

Developers Lynch Homes are making a bold bid to change the use of the popular hotel.

But one resident, who lives in nearby Victoria Park, insisted: “It shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

“The Old Racecourse Hotel is a lovely building set in beautiful grounds and should be protected at all costs.

“The first we knew about this was a message stuck to a lamppost in the street informing us of the application.

“To demolish a building like that and replace it with flats would be disgraceful.

“We’re just hoping the council will see sense and not let themselves be talked into it.”

The application from Lynch, who’ve employed MGP Architects to draw up designs, is now in the hands of the council’s planning department.

Meanwhile, the hotel has confirmed it’s still business as usual and are continuing to take bookings before any decision is made.

On its website, the seven bedroom hotel boasts of being “a great base for visiting some of Scotland’s greatest golf courses, Burns country, excellent fishing, and the beautiful vistas of Arran and the Clyde estuary.”

But those days could be no more if the green light is given to building work.

A council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received two planning applications.

“One concerns the demolition of the current premises and the other is for the change of use for residential purposes.

“The decision on these applications will be taken by the council’s regulatory panel and it would not be appropriate for the council to comment further.”

Lynch Homes were unavailable for comment.