A FRESH plea has been issued to repair the former Seafield House which has been described as a ‘building at risk’ and in ‘poor condition’.

The building operated as a hospital from 1921 through to 1991, used as HQ for NHS before being proposed for sale to Miller Homes in 2005. 

In September 2013, Seafield House was put on the market on behalf NHS Ayrshire and Arran by Rydens as a development opportunity. 

A developer day was held for interested parties to explore the potential restoration and development of the site with representatives from Ryden, and members of the Seafield Viability Group comprising the Vendors NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Historic Scotland, the Scottish Government and South Ayrshire Council. 

But no progress seems to have been made to restore the category B listed building which was sold to Econstruct Design and Build, with a view to potentially convert Seafield House to flats with new build dwellings within the grounds.

There are concerns about the safety of the building and its future.

Speaking at a recent meeting, Forbes Watson, said: “Friends of Seafield House have been in touch with Robin Ghosh asking him to come to a meeting with us.

“We want to know how long this is going to take. Residents are concerned about the wall surrounding the property.

“We want to know who is responsible for the wall and if it does fall down, who is going to be responsible for it.”

Friends of Seafield House (FoSH) was established on October, 15 2012 to support the campaign by SAVE Britain’s Heritage among others to save Seafield House in Ayr, securing a new use for this iconic building and developing proposals for its restoration.

A public exhibition to discuss the planning application and listed building consent for Seafield House into apartments and residential development in the grounds will take place this Thursday at Ayr Town Hall from 11am until 7pm.

This is the first opportunity to see the proposals for Seafield House and grounds.

FoSH Committee Members will attend to discuss the proposal that has been submitted by Edesign Architecture and Planning on behalf of the owners and give our view and comments.

FoSH will continue to monitor the building and will continue to update the local Seafield community by leaflet and personal contact and maintain their website, Facebook page and Twitter feed over the time that it takes for planning permission and consents for the restoration of Seafield House as residential apartments and the building of the small number of houses in the grounds as the enabling development.