IT'S a disaster. It's pretty disappointing. It's a shambles. Those are just three of the disparaging labels which have been attached to Rothesay's major open space, Guildford Square, this week.
To be specific, it wasn't so much the square itself that was coming in for some stinging criticism this week as the state of some of the buildings around it.
With the front of the Esplanade Hotel substantially improved, and the pier and inn
er harbour area set to receive a facelift over the coming months, the attentions of Bute Community Council and Bute Beyond 2000 - both of whom held meetings at the end of last week - have turned to Rothesay's main gathering place and its surroundings.
And their conclusions are not good, though both meetings acknowledged that the main obstacle to sprucing up the area is the fact that many of the buildings are in multi-ownership.
Bute Beyond 2000 now plans to write to the owners of the worst-looking properties around the square asking them to do something about the buildings' appearance.
Top of the 'hit list' is the former travel agent's building at 11-13 Watergate - in the eyes of many, the worst-looking building in the whole of central Rothesay if not the whole of Bute.
But despite its decrepit appearance, and the constant threat of slates falling off the roof, it is not classed as a dangerous building.
Like many of its counterparts around the square, the building has more than one owner, which greatly complicates the job of having it sold and refurbished.
Bute Central councillor Isobel Strong told the island's community council: "I understand a father and son bought part of the building, but they then fell out.
"If it was available to buy, I'm sure there would be people who wanted to buy it and do it up."
The possibility of a Compulsory Purchase Order was mentioned, though it was felt that was only appropriate if the building was in imminent danger of collapse or was preventing a larger development.
However, at Bute Beyond 2000 two days later - where the square as a whole was described as "a perennial problem" - there was more optimism that a CPO might be an option for the Watergate building, though the meeting heard that the building was one of only two left on the island with local roof slates from the former Colmac quarry, adding to its heritage value.
At that meeting, Tony Harrison opened discussion on the state of the square as a whole by saying: "Guildford Square is a disaster as far as visitor impressions of this place are concerned.
"And really it isn't just the travel shop - there's a lot of green-looking buildings covered with moss and mould. I really do feel quite strongly that this group should be saying, how can we make things change?"
Members of the group agreed, in the first instance, to write to as many owners as could be tracked down to highlight the poor state of the buildings' exterior - and suggested a 'name and shame' approach to anyone who refused to do their share.
(This story first appeared in the November 24, 2006 issue of The Buteman.)