IN the week where Octopus Energy chiefs reiterated that there's no reason why Britain should not introduce "zonal pricing" for energy, with Scotland being a zone in its own right and where, as the lowest-cost producer, we'd enjoy the lowest prices for electricity in all of Europe, why have the majority of Labour MSPs in Holyrood voted against condemning the Westminster vote to dump the winter fuel payment for 90 per cent of pensioners? Do Labour MSPs no longer vote for what's best for their constituents?

Users in Scotland not only pay higher prices for our electricity than most of Britain, but we also have the coldest climate, requiring us to use more power to heat our homes than further south. This was something that was obviously recognised in this Holyrood vote by MSPs from the SNP, Conservatives, LibDems, Greens, Alba and Independent, but only two Labour MSPs supported the First Minister's call to oppose the Westminster cuts.

I no longer recognise the Labour Party in Scotland as the one I used to vote for. I really can't understand what's happened to British Labour in Scotland.

On the particular issue of energy pricing, it's well past time that Scotland's MPs in Westminster, MSPs in Holyrood and representatives in local councils all got together to demand what's right for the people of Scotland.

If they can't do what's right for their constituents on this subject, when the heads of energy companies are giving them the solution on a plate, but would rather see a much higher death toll this winter than needs to be the case, then there's no hope for politics in Scotland as part of the UK.

Ian Waugh, Dumfries & Galloway Indy Hub, Dumfries.

The tragedy of Ayr Station Hotel

DR Cristina Gonzalez-Longo opens her excellent Opinion article ("'Awareness must be raised': Why Glasgow’s architectural heritage has to be preserved", October 6) by stating that "the architectural heritage of Scotland is one of the most important assets of the country, and it should be conserved".

Unfortunately, as the Insight article by Sandra Dick in the same edition ("'Windows of opportunity': Are Scotland's many 'at-risk' crumbling buildings worth saving?") makes clear this generally-agreed "worth" is insufficient in itself to arrest the alarming acceleration in the deterioration of our historic city and town centres. Here in my home town of Ayr, South Ayrshire Council has, in my estimation, failed to maintain the visitor-attracting qualities of its outstanding conservation area town centre, recourse to the use of demolition contractors being a clear indicator of that. The latest example of this can be seen at the formerly iconic traveller gateway to the entire south-west region that was the Ayr Railway Station and Hotel, a listed heritage building rated by SAVE Britain's Heritage to be of national importance. The beautiful luxury hotel and evocative period railway station are wrecked and, whilst some surviving parts are not totally beyond some limited form of restoration, the building as such is now a lost gift from the past to the future as a consequence of decisions taken by the council and others. It must be said that it seems likely that other councils are having similar difficulties in their ability to protect and improve the visitor-attracting visual environment upon which so many struggling local businesses depend.

As Ms Dick succinctly states with regard to crumbling buildings, "empty and unused they quickly deteriorate... fires break out". The Ayr Railway Station and Hotel suffered greatly in this regard due to a second fire but also emergency safety works in the aftermath that have led to an extensive demolition of much of the heritage building. This was despite primary masonry structure being regarded, according to two conservation-accredited structural engineer experts, to be essentially sound. It will be interesting to see if Historic Environment Scotland will withhold any retrospective listed building demolition consent for what has been done (SAVE Britain's Heritage currently has a petition on its campaigns website seeking a modification to Scottish legislation which attempts to address issues arising as regards emergency "make safe" works. This is needed and well worthy of support).

Finally and further to the above, it is surely the case that these many fires to heritage buildings release huge amounts of health-harming toxic pollutants (hazardous bioproducts, particulates, asbestos fibres etc) into the air and thereby into lung tissue; a life-harming consequence particularly so given that the developing lungs of young people are uniquely vulnerable and susceptible to damage.

Fire-raising is surely an obvious risk and both manageable and controllable. Inadequate security measures clearly contribute and must be improved.

Allan Stewart, retired architect, Ayr.

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  • YOUR excellent articles about our wonderful historic buildings shows what we are throwing away, being 10th out of 60 nations for quality of heritage buildings.

Ayr has so many wonderful buildings but in our case the council actively resists conservation and I have Freedom of Information material to prove it. It turns out that the people who make decisions about emergency demolition are the building control department of each council in Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is restricted.

The power of councils is added to when you consider that Scotland has not ratified the Aarhus Convention which would assist individuals and community groups to be less liable for court costs if wishing to pursue environmental issues Our Ayr Station Hotel ranked with the top railway hotels in Britain. With its stained glass, marble and mosaics, ironwork and more, it was beautiful. It was so successful in opening up Ayr as a tourist resort that the Glasgow & South Western Railway company built Turnberry soon after.

In the last decades there were several real opportunities to conserve and if necessary repurpose the hotel. In 2013 the council could have taken out a repairs notice itself but did not. It could have reclaimed the cost. The new owner wished to repair but was hindered by Network Rail which had previously published plans to demolish and build a transport hub along with the council, with longer platforms and fewer trains.

In 2018 the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) and council leaders agreed to have a compulsory purchase order and a back to back agreement. SHBT would raise the money and manage everything. Council officials stepped in and closed the hotel. They formed a task force and made it "safe" with the wrong kind of very expensive awning with the prohibitive cost put on the hotel title deeds. This made it look as if the owner was the problem. He in fact found new owners but negotiations involved the council and failed.

There recently followed interest by SAVE Britain's Heritage with world-class conservation structural engineers and top professional input. Even after two fires the expert view was that the building was world class. There was a developer with relevant experience and hoteliers interested. It is not about money as demolition has cost more and we now have nothing as replacement.

In Ayr we have the Network Rail residue of the station and we seem just to be having a carpark There are no passenger or toilet facilities, nor disabled access.

We have another building at immediate risk, the council-owned former Hourstons department store. The council plans to keep the frontage but has allowed it all to deteriorate. It has had its recent planning application rejected so we may see emergency demolition again soon.

Esther R Clark, Ayr Development Trust, Ayr.

Keep up the good work

THANK you for again highlighting the tragic loss of so many of our unique old buildings. So many have disappeared in my lifetime that it breaks my heart.

This is obviously working against the long-term reputation and prosperity of Glasgow and the wellbeing of its citizens. How can Glasgow City Council be so short-sighted? Not being an entrepreneur or anything to do with the building trade, it's very hard for people like me to know what we can do to help. I hope you can continue to stir up public opinion to put a stop to this vandalism.

Carol Woodward, Bearsden.

The Ayr Station Hotel under protective sheetsThe Ayr Station Hotel under protective sheets (Image: Newsquest)

Bad news for the SNP

SCOTLAND'S population has grown since 2022 by 43,100 to 5.49 million, which is the highest figure on record for Scotland.

More than 20% of the Scottish population is now over 65.

This is gloomy news for the SNP as when it comes to voting a huge majority of older people vote for keeping Scotland strong and within the UK and regard turning out to vote as an important democratic responsibility.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen.

Time to repeal Human Rights Act

THE UK already has too many asylum seekers and illegal migrants and another 973 crossed the English Channel on October 5, making well over 25,000 this year. Unsustainable.

There are 225,000 asylum seekers awaiting decisions with 30,000 being put up in hotels at a cost of £8 million a day. Migrants are prioritised for accommodation before the 320,000 homeless UK families in England.

The UK has more illegal migrants than any other European country. Research by Oxford University academics showed that there are at least 745, 000 illegal migrants in the UK. That is one in every 100 of the population. Our weak action is an open invitation to the world's poor to make their way to the UK, the land flowing with milk and honey, free accommodation, free healthcare and much more.

The UK needs to repeal the Human Rights Act, particularly its ties to the European Convention on Human Rights. (ECHR). This would enable the UK to quickly remove those who have no right to be here and burden UK taxpayers.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow.