The Ultimate Super Ayr Thread

[GaryMc93]

1 hour ago, Peil said:

I can recall a few of the younger Ayr players around 2002/3 getting into some bother wth a party they had in there

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DEFEATED+FOOTBALL+STARS+ON+RAMPAGE.-a061358761

Funnily enough came across that when I was looking at our U18 team that had played in the 2002 Scottish Youth Cup Final. Think the one mentioned above is from the  2000 team.

[eez-eh]

1 hour ago, AyrExile said:

Don’t think Prestwick can be used until Ayr opens unless for diesel trains 

They had trains starting from Prestwick the last time the station was shut.

[Rb123]

2 hours ago, AyrExile said:

Don’t think Prestwick can be used until Ayr opens unless for diesel trains 

They used prestwick back in 2018 when it all first kicked off with the station being out of bounds, think they can change lines at Newton where the old coal bunker train yards used to be

[diegomarahenry]

The trains are terminating at Irvine just now. 

[AyrExile]

6 hours ago, Rb123 said:

They used prestwick back in 2018 when it all first kicked off with the station being out of bounds, think they can change lines at Newton where the old coal bunker train yards used to be

I heard the change points are at Irvine and Newton but the latter not fully viable for electric trains 

[Peil]

9 hours ago, GaryMc93 said:

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/DEFEATED+FOOTBALL+STARS+ON+RAMPAGE.-a061358761

Funnily enough came across that when I was looking at our U18 team that had played in the 2002 Scottish Youth Cup Final. Think the one mentioned above is from the  2000 team.

That'll be it, I knew it was over 20 years ago (fk I'm auld)

I see mention of John Dodds, his maw was lovely iirc.

Edited September 27, 2023 by Peil

[Hawk89]

14 hours ago, ryanayr1987 said:

It was a landmark of Ayr, though I do concede that it was falling to bits and was never going to get finished. 
 

I am trying to remember a time that it was still used as a hotel and I can’t. Says a lot doesn’t it? 

I think it partially closed around 2010 as the place was falling to bits and then was condemned and fully closed in 2012 from memory. Owners over atleast the last 20 years of life put in zero investment and just let the place rot whilst taking every penny they could. 

It was a landmark, but these things take upkeep. It could become a new landmark if the council and network rail are ambitious enough. Personally I'd rebuild it into a combined train/bus station with services timetabled to join up, build some sort of garden/green space as the roof that allows you to transfer between Station road and Smith street either undercover or through the garden/green space. Fantasy land stuff now; If there was proper ambition (and funding) in the town it would be the start of a river walk that pops out at the top end of the beach. 

I see there has been planning permission already approved for some daft looking conservatory to join onto the portacabins though. 

[callum-ayr]

24 minutes ago, Hawk89 said:

I think it partially closed around 2010 as the place was falling to bits and then was condemned and fully closed in 2012 from memory. Owners over atleast the last 20 years of life put in zero investment and just let the place rot whilst taking every penny they could. 

It was a landmark, but these things take upkeep. It could become a new landmark if the council and network rail are ambitious enough. Personally I'd rebuild it into a combined train/bus station with services timetabled to join up, build some sort of garden/green space as the roof that allows you to transfer between Station road and Smith street either undercover or through the garden/green space. Fantasy land stuff now; If there was proper ambition (and funding) in the town it would be the start of a river walk that pops out at the top end of the beach. 

I see there has been planning permission already approved for some daft looking conservatory to join onto the portacabins though. 

To be honest, I just don't see what you put there.  Logistically will a bus/train station be able to fit in there with access in and out?  Would have to be off the Market Inn side at a guess.  Garden wise, they've opened up that bit at the bottom of the town as well as what used to be Burns House.  The best thing that could go in would be a decent(ish) free car park for folk coming into the town and can leave their cars if away on a train/popping into town for shopping.

[diegomarahenry]

Think Ayr central is now free to park.

Doubt there will be another hotel built there, maybe flats but I don’t think there is a need for a big hotel in the town.

Tarting up the area and creating more green space might go some way to cleaning up that area of the town, a lot of abandoned buildings. Having a proper travel hub would take the taxi queue away from that street as well.
Maybe changing the usage for some of the buildings around that area to housing would brighten it up.

[eez-eh]

1 hour ago, callum-ayr said:

To be honest, I just don't see what you put there.  Logistically will a bus/train station be able to fit in there with access in and out?  Would have to be off the Market Inn side at a guess.  Garden wise, they've opened up that bit at the bottom of the town as well as what used to be Burns House.  The best thing that could go in would be a decent(ish) free car park for folk coming into the town and can leave their cars if away on a train/popping into town for shopping.

Please fucking no. There’s loads of car parks nearby. Not all are free but that’s a different argument.

Covering the station with tarmac for another car park is about the grimmest thing I can imagine them doing with it.

[AUcal]

There should be a big enough footprint there with the hotel gone to create a new modern bus / train hub on I think. 

Have the buses to towns and villages without rail connections timetabled to line up with trains arriving and departing from the station. Some more greenery wouldn't go a miss, that part of the town is very dull.

Won't get that though. There will be disputes over who's responsible for clearing the land, disputes over what is required and how it's paid for and then we'll end up with the current set up of an outdated station squeezed between 2 car parks - just without the big white elephant above it.

 

[AUFC 1910]

Match day trains from station to back of the railway end

[davidkennedyshand]

13 hours ago, Shibuya said:

I remember being in the Sports bar inside it, wasn't it named after Maradona or something?

The Hand of God

Barmaids in Argentina tops.Think there was a full size goal somewhere with tables in it. Tacky as hell but had an excellent big screen

Didn't last long

[D'Jaffo]

1 hour ago, diegomarahenry said:

Think Ayr central is now free to park.

Doubt there will be another hotel built there, maybe flats but I don’t think there is a need for a big hotel in the town.

Tarting up the area and creating more green space might go some way to cleaning up that area of the town, a lot of abandoned buildings. Having a proper travel hub would take the taxi queue away from that street as well.
Maybe changing the usage for some of the buildings around that area to housing would brighten it up.

Last time I was there it wasn’t. It’s all automatic now as it picks up your number plate and checks if you’ve paid before you leave. 
 

Parking in Ayr is shite though and the air show and races expose that every year. The town isn’t really suited to having swarms of folk converge on it. Could do with another couple multi stories in a central area. 

[D'Jaffo]

1 hour ago, diegomarahenry said:

Think Ayr central is now free to park.

Doubt there will be another hotel built there, maybe flats but I don’t think there is a need for a big hotel in the town.

Tarting up the area and creating more green space might go some way to cleaning up that area of the town, a lot of abandoned buildings. Having a proper travel hub would take the taxi queue away from that street as well.
Maybe changing the usage for some of the buildings around that area to housing would brighten it up.

Last time I was there it wasn’t. It’s all automatic now as it picks up your number plate and checks if you’ve paid before you leave. 
 

Parking in Ayr is shite though and the air show and races expose that every year. The town isn’t really suited to having swarms of folk converge on it. Could do with another couple multi stories in a central area. 

[eez-eh]

Do folk want the entire town centre turned into a car park or something? There’s fucking loads already.

[Richey Edwards]

Just now, eez-eh said:

Do folk want the entire town centre turned into a car park or something? There’s fucking loads already.

Anywhere is a car park if you're resourceful enough.

[Nelson]

I get that the Station Hotel is a landmark of sorts, but in truth it has no historical significance.  It’s just an old hotel that has had no practical use for years.  The only quibble I really have is why it was allowed to be sold off to some faceless (and apparently uncontactable) overseas developer who was presumably just speculating on the land value and hoping someone else would pick up the demolition costs.  It’s had its day and has been rotting from the inside out for years - time for it to go.  

[ayrunitedfw]

I see our club website is taking a bit of stick on Twitter (refuse to call it anything else). Given it was mentioned on here a while back you’d of thought the club would have been able to sort it out by now. 

[diegomarahenry]

56 minutes ago, Nelson said:

The only quibble I really have is why it was allowed to be sold off to some faceless (and apparently uncontactable) overseas developer who was presumably just speculating on the land value and hoping someone else would pick up the demolition costs.  

The Marine hotel was going the same way, different owners every 5 years, no money spent on refurbishment or futureproofing. It has now been taken over and was closed for about a year while they renovated, presumably looking to make most of the money back at the open next year. 

I think the intention with Ayr station was to have the hotel turned in to student accommodation but the plans were rejected. The building was already dangerous by this point due to lack of investment from previous owners. The guy who bought it seemed to just try and run down the clock at that point, trying to force the councils hand to either pay to make it safe or allow the student accommodation to be built.  The hotel will be nothing more than an asset on a balance sheet to him.