Ukrainian war refugees could be housed in the ghost tower left behind at Ayr's Riverside flats, the Ayrshire Post can reveal.
Bosses at South Ayrshire Council are to go cap in hand to the Scottish Government looking for money to salvage the doomed block.
It follows the news that the final skyscraper cannot be demolished due to a blunder by officials at County Buildings.
Telecoms giant EE own masts at the top of the tower with a contract for them to remain in place until at least 2025.
Officials are now scrambling to put the block back into use with the help of Holyrood cash - and admit it could stay put for up to 40 YEARS.
Architects have redrawn plans for social housing due to replace the flats, whose demolition was approved last January.
A scaled down version of the project will see 75 houses built in the shadow of the remaining tower - instead of the 96 originally planned.
Council chiefs are set to meet with the Government next week in a bid to bag money from the Ukraine Resettlement Fund, which it is hoped could breathe new life into the remaining tower.
South Ayrshire leader, Martin Dowey, this week claimed his administration has been left to "clear up a mess of the council's own doing".
He told Ayrshire Live: "When we came into office last year, we inherited a situation at the Riverside flats that we never agreed with - and we always made that position very clear.
"But the decision taken to demolish those flats was democracy and that was fair enough.
"What's become clear is that due dilligence wasn't done at that time over these phone masts.
"Somebody in the council has signed a contract to approve demolition fully knowing the situation and the problems we would encounter later down the road.
"That has now left us to clear up a mess of the council's own doing."
The remaining block, which has been stripped internally and no longer contains any traces of asbestos, is now in the running to be brought back to life, says Dowey.
He explained: "The only positive is we have a blank canvas with the block. We are where we are and have to get on with it now.
"If we can potentially help out the Ukrainians as well by offering them homes, then something good can at least come of this.
"We will pursue anything to try and salvage this situation. If we can refurbish the block, it has another 40 years left in it.
"But, unfortunately we are going to be left with a physical monument to the incompetence of the last administration, who rushed to bring these blocks down, and now this is the result."
However, those in power at the time demolition was approved have denied blame should fall at their door.
Labour leader Brian McGinley, who was among those to sign off on the bulldozers 12 months ago, said: "I, and the leadership panel members, were all aware of the EE masts and we understood that officers had a plan to deal with it.
"If this has not been dealt with then we need to ask questions of those elected members currently in charge."
He added: "The current administration has been in power for nine months, since May 2022, and questions need to be asked about what they have been doing if they are just becoming aware of this matter now."
SNP councillor Ian Cochrane, who was also consulted on the demolition decision, added: "I recall the Director for Place and the service lead for Housing explaining at Leadership Panel that the telephone masts would be transferred to a site in Craigie, once planning permission had been granted for this purpose, adding that the transfer of the telephone masts should not impact on the schedule of the demolition project."
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