Council to spend £30,000 relocating sculpture damaged by food and drink

The iconic Poet and Scholar sculpture in Ayr High Street is to be moved to Rozelle Park at a cost of more than £30,000.

It was revealed that the carving, which was created by the sculptor Doug Cocker in 1995, had suffered corrosion damage, possibly as a result of spilled drinks and food.

Depute leader Alec Clark had questioned the cost of the relocation at a meeting of South Ayrshire Council Cabinet on Tuesday.

He said he wasn’t against the relocation itself, just the cost.

He said: “I don’t know if there’s any flexibility in that. I think some people will maybe baulk a little at the figure of £30,911.

“I am not against relocating it. It just seems rather a large amount of the finance to relocate that particular sculpture out to Rozelle Park.”

Assistant director of communities George Hunter gave councillors some more background on the move.

He said: “A condition survey has been carried out on the Poet and Scholar sculpture in the High Street.

“Certainly, there is a view that it is a bit of a pinch point there in terms of its location, adjacent to Hope Street and next to the Grain Exchange, and improving that wider public realm environment would, in itself, be a good thing to do.

“I would also note that a condition survey done on the sculpture has identified some significant issues as a result of its location in the High Street.

“Sticky residue is present on much in the surface, possibly from tree sap or spilled drinks.

“The sculpture’s busy location suggests that it is often used as a surface for food and beverages.

“This residue has a detrimental effect on the metal surface”

He said that the substance was also working its way through scratches on the surface of the statue to the bare bronze beneath the surface patina.

The lack of drainage is also leading to further corrosion beneath the surface.

He added: “To leave it where it is, it is only going to further decline.”

Mr Hunter said that moving the sculpture to Rozelle would make safer, better use of the work.

“The cost that we have, which came from our neighbourhood services team, are, I believe, to be competitive costs.”

He said that the relocation was ‘not an inconsiderable undertaking, and included the installation at Rozelle and working to repair any of the defects in the statue.

Mr Hunter added: “I am content that it represents good value for money.”