A DETERMINED campaigner insists the crumbling station hotel can still be saved after a report revealed thousands of defects was released.

Esther Clark has been fighting to save the station hotel, which was once known as a castle in the middle of Ayr.

After years of vigorous research into the history behind the hotel and the condition it has been left in, the published report by South Ayrshire Council, may have shocked many, but not Esther.

She told the Advertiser: “The report is no surprise because the hotel has been taking in water which people knew about. There was a dangerous building report in 2013 and at that time various things were identified.

“As far as I understand, network rail paid for those.”

The report highlighted issues both inside and outside the once grand B-listed building.

Loose tiles, missing window panes, and collapsed ceilings were just some of the hundreds of problems scarring the hotel.

Structurally, the fabric of the roof and perimeter walls were defined as “poor” or “very poor condition” in the south section of the hotel, but reasonable in the north.

Another report is due towards the end of the month which will outline costs and set out a proposal for the next course of action.

Esther is hoping that demolition is not an option and believes a new station will not last as long as the tough Ballochmyle sandstone that the hotel is built with.

She added: “So where do we go from here? Do we just let things get knocked down and replaced?

“If they bought a new station it would cost £20m and the Scottish Government would pay for it

“As far I know the demolition could cost over £4m.

“We’ve got schools that were built in the 60s and demolished and then the new ones don’t last that long. Things just don’t last for that long. If you built a new station it would only last 20 years, if you used what’s already there it would last you 100 years. A new station would be built with glass and steel, then once that’s done you’d have to do it all again.

“It’s not a green solution to the problem.”