Coastal park

A coastal park along the length of Irvine Bay would make the most of our amazing natural resources. The idea behind the park is to encourage the regeneration of Irvine Bay by promoting recreation and attracting more visitors to the area.

The 14 miles of Irvine Bay’s coastline is incredibly attractive, with stunning views over to Arran and the Ailsa Craig. It is a great place to enjoy the outdoors. The vision for the coastal park is to provide better facilities for walking, cycling, wildlife tourism, horse riding and watersports, so Irvine Bay becomes a great coastal destination.

In 2008 Land Use Consultants carried out a scoping study to assess the potential of a coastal park. This includes lessons from elsewhere, looking at other successful coastal parks across northern Europe that we can learn from.

One important idea is to develop coastal beacons and incorporate these as iconic landmarks in the park.

Through the Coastal Park Partnership we are working to encourage people to visit more, with new points of interest and opportunities to enjoy the coastline.

Examples of these projects include:

• Plans to extend the marina at Ardrossan Harbour
• Proposals for the redevelopment of Irvine Beach park
• Board walks and seating at Stevenston
• Proposals to maximise the wildlife tourism offer in the area

Through our green network project we are exploring the opportunities to develop derelict and underused land in the area and helping local communities connect more with the surrounding coast and countryside.

We are also encouraging activities down at the waterfront, such as our annual festival, Big on the Beach, and the Irvine Bay Fun Run.

Find out more about coastal projects which are bringing regeneration to Irvine Bay.