Civic Theatre to be demolished for £100,000

Dec 18 2009 by Stuart Wilson, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

SKINT council chiefs want to spend more than £100,000 demolishing the Civic Theatre.

One of Ayr’s oldest and iconic buildings is the latest set to bite the dust.

And it’s going to cost South Ayrshire Council a pretty penny to do the deed.

Councillors will today (Thursday) be asked to agree funding of £101,467 for the demolition.

The site is needed for work which could lead to an extended roundabout or housing.

But the move is being met with opposition – and questions about the cost involved.

Labour councillor IanCavana, who represents the Civic’s ward, is up in arms about the cash being splashed.

He said: “There are many questions to arise from this and I intend to ask them.

“The cost seems very high and I can only imagine they’re employing a lot of specialists to do the job for that amount of money.

“That would infer there’s problems with asbestos in the building, not to mention anything else.

“Where is all this money going to come from?”

The opposition is shared by local historian Michael Hitchon, the president of Kyle and Carrick’s Civic Society.

He said: “I’m disappointed that demolition appears to be the first option here.

“To be fair, that seems to apply to a few sites around Ayr at the moment.

“I would rather the council demonstrate that they’ve explored every option before going ahead with the demolition.

“The Civic is sorely missed by all parts of the community and it will be a sad day if it’s demolished.”

The theatre, which has been idle for more than a decade, has played host to a range of amateur clubs and groups in its time.

But the former church, built in 1901, now looks like meeting its end.

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Council said: “If a decision is taken by the council to demolish the Civic Theatre, the estimated cost includes all elements of the work required.

“For example, factored into the budget for the project is the cost of asbestos removal, protection barriers around the site, reinstatement of the site to form a landscaped area and repairs to surrounding pavements.”