Local people hear how Irvine Bay is building for the future

Around 250 local people heard of the significant progress made in breathing new life into Irvine Bay during the past 12 months at the annual public meeting of Irvine Bay Regeneration Company.

The meeting – the first held outside Irvine and the first held in the evening – attracted a strong turnout to St. Matthew’s Academy in Saltcoats, with the theme “Building for the Future.”

Those attending heard the company’s Chief Executive, Patrick Wiggins, outline some of the real progress made since the previous year. And he maintained solid progress would continue to be made, due to the continued funding commitment made to the company by the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and North Ayrshire Council.

However delivering the company’s full programme of work in the coming years will cost around £10 million per year, he said; Irvine Bay would require to continue with its successful record of attracting additional sources of funding, such as European funds, Historic Scotland funding and Heritage Lottery funding, to bridge the gap.

He said: “We are very happy that our core funders have continued to support us at existing levels at a time when public funding is under a great deal of pressure, and we view this as a real endorsement of our activity and of our plans for the area.

“However, delighted as we are with the contributions being made we know that we will have to continue to be innovative in accessing alternative funding sources, and we are making real progress in doing so.”

Mr Wiggins pointed to a number of areas where genuine progress had been made during the past 12 months, and where he expected to see further activity. These highlights included:

• The company and NHS Ayrshire & Arran had reached agreement on a financial model which will enable the redevelopment of the former police station at Ardrossan as a medical centre, housing an expanded range of GP-based services. While the final details are yet to be finalised, he expressed confidence that the deal was close to completion.
• The transformation of Kilwinning Main Street through £2.9 million public realm works has been completed, and since it finished 9 new businesses have opened in the street. Irvine Bay continues to work with local traders and others attracting events to the street.
• Work has continued on creating Scotland’s “greenest” business park at Annickbank, which is being put forward for European funding. The park will meet the highest environmental standards.
• Work is progressing on the regeneration of the Bridgegate and Town House areas in Irvine, and in particular on the refurbishment of Bridgegate House, major public realm works linking the Bridgegate with the historic town centre, and on creating a replacement for the Magnum Leisure Centre on the site of the Town House.
• Historic Scotland funding was secured by North Ayrshire Council and Irvine Bay to complete the refurbishment of Trinity Church in Irvine to take the building to the stage where it will attract private sector investment and gain new use, as a cafe bar/restaurant.
• The office block on the former NACCO site has been turned into a business incubator centre, with four of the nine units already in use by new-start businesses.
• Public consultation is about to get underway on proposals to create a multi-million pound hotel and pay-as-you-play golf course, The Ayrshire, at Irvine.
• Decontamination work is underway on the first phase of a massive mixed-use development at Ardrossan North Shore which will see the creation of new homes, offices, shops, restaurants and a hotel linked with an extension of the marina, creating up to an additional 600 berths.

Mr Wiggins said: “These all show significant progress, and we are confident that we can maintain that progress in the coming year.

“We have seen a focus on Ardrossan because that is where we had the opportunities, and now we are seeing a focus on Irvine as the area’s biggest town which has a real impact on the wider area. However it is our intention to continue to progress work in all of the five towns as funds and opportunities allow in line with the town regeneration plans.”