MORAY Council is facing calls to demolish Elgin Town Hall after throwing an 11th-hour lifeline to the town’s pantomime group.
The annual festive show was thrown into doubt when the building’s boiler broke down. But the production is now poised to go ahead thanks to the local authority’s decision to spend £8,000 to hire a temporary boiler for the rest of the month.
But those calling for the Town Hall to be razed said the problems with the boiler were just one symptom of wider issues with the crumbling building. They added that plans to spend £1.25million next year refurbishing it would amount to throwing good money after bad.
Local SNP councillor Mike Shand is a long-term advocate of knocking down the town hall, which was built in 1961.
He said: “I don’t profess to know much about architecture but I know an ugly building when I see it.
“It’s a monstrous carbuncle, to use Prince Charles’s famous phrase.
“It’s brutal and looks like it could have been built in Soviet-era East Germany.
“I know of a number of conferences that would have come to Elgin but haven’t because the town hall just isn’t fit for purpose.
“It was never a great building in the first place. Nowadays it just needs a wrecking ball taking to it.”
Mr Shand said had been a move to demolish the town hall in 1998.
However, a campaign to save it led by a group of local residents culminated in Historic Scotland listing the building, describing its design as being of “national significance”.
Councillor Patsy Gowans is also an opponent of the council’s decision in October to spend £1.25million refurbishing the building.
She said: “It’s always going to have problems – it’s just not very well designed, either outside or inside.
“It’s all very well Historic Scotland listing it but it’s the people of Moray who have to use it and pay for it.”
Council employees worked through the weekend to try to fix the broken boiler but eventually had to admit defeat. It is now hoped a temporary replacement will be up and running by late tonight or on Wednesday morning, ready for the panto starting on Wednesday evening.
Amanda Craib is the director of the panto Sleeping Beauty, which has sold nearly 1,000 tickets for five performances.
The Elgin Amateur Dramatic Society member said: “It’s a huge relief. We’ve worked for months on this. It really looked like the panto would have to be cancelled.”
Council leader Allan Wright said: “The timing of this breakdown could not have been worse, but we have hired a temporary boiler which right now is on its way here from Glasgow.
“Engineers will be working through the night to connect it so that the show can go on.
“At more than £8,000 for a four-week period, this has not been cheap, but many seasonal events would have been cancelled and many people disappointed otherwise.
“I would like to thank all the staff that worked so hard and long all over the weekend to fix this in time.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to resolve this issue in time for the Elgin pantomime.”
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