Plans have been submitted to relocate the South African War Memorial in Ayr, a structure that has stood in Burns Statue Square for 124 years, to make way for South Ayrshire Council's £16m redevelopment of the area. The local authority, working with Ayrshire Roads Alliance, has earmarked the memorial for removal and relocation to a new space within the square.
Historic Memorial Details
The memorial was erected in 1902 and honours the men of the Royal Scots Fusiliers who died in campaigns in South Africa (1879-1881), the Sudan (1884-1885), Burma (1885-1889), Tirah (1897) and South Africa (1899-1903). It was built by the people and local regiments of Ayrshire, Wigtownshire, the Stewartry, and Dumfriesshire, and has stood in its current position since 1902.
Its design includes a granite square-plan plinth with a bronze relief table and a surmounting bronze figure of a soldier facing east. The memorial is category B-listed, meaning planning permission is required for its removal and relocation.
Redevelopment Plans
The relocation is part of a wider scheme to transform Burns Statue Square into a new civic space and gateway to the town centre, with more room for pedestrians, landscaping and seating. In September, the council approved the multi-million pound plans despite warnings about the impact on businesses and the wider Ayr town centre.
The proposal also includes new public art, such as a sculpture of ‘Meg’ the horse from Robert Burns' poem Tam o' Shanter. The Robert Burns statue will remain in situ, while the South African War Memorial is set to move to a more north western position in the square, near Killoch Place.
Planning Application Details
Ayrshire Roads Alliance is the applicant for the proposal. A description states the redevelopment will “improve public access, pedestrian routes, paving, landscaping and the setting of the listed monuments. The Robert Burns Statue will remain in situ; the South African War Memorial will be relocated within Burns Statue Square to a more accessible and prominent north west setting.”
The statement continues: “The proposal includes reconfigured layout and levels, paving, landscaping, pedestrian and accessibility improvements, drainage, parking and servicing changes, new public art including the Meg sculpture, retention and setting works to the Robert Burns Statue, removal of its railings and circular stone upstand, and relocation of the South African War Memorial within the square.”
The proposals are listed as ‘pending consideration’ on South Ayrshire Council’s online planning portal, with a decision expected in December.
