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| Bridgegate House, Irvine |
THE Ayrshire locations will go head to head in this year's SURF Awards under the category of ‘Scotland’s Most Improved Town: Large.’
TWO Ayrshire locations will go head to head in a battle be crowned Scotland's most improved town.
Irvine and Kilmarnock face off against each other in this year's SURF Awards under the category of ‘Scotland’s Most Improved Town: Large’.
Two of North Ayrshire Council’s ambitious projects that have transformed the heart of Irvine have been announced as finalists in the prestigious national awards scheme.
Two of North Ayrshire Council’s ambitious projects that have transformed the heart of Irvine have been announced as finalists in the prestigious national awards scheme.
The council’s £30m ‘Vision for Irvine’ investment programme has seen the town being shortlisted along with the recent completion of the £37m Vineburgh Regeneration Masterplan in the awards for ‘Large-Scale Infrastructure’.
The shortlisted entry highlights the impressive scale of works carried out to regenerate the popular town centre, including: the award-winning transformation of Bridgegate Public Realm; the development of the town’s new leisure centre; the development proposals for Quarry Road ; and the completion of Bridgegate House and Trinity Church.
Council Leader, Willie Gibson, said: “To be shortlisted in these prestigious awards is testament to the determination the council, our partners and the local community have to transform Irvine and provide a positive future for the town.
“It’s an exciting time for Irvine as all of these projects are really starting to take shape. The new-look Bridgegate is transformed and is now alive with business, shoppers and visitors. It’s also great to see our Ayrshire neighbours mentioned among the shortlist and I’d like to wish them good luck.”
The awards are delivered each year by SURF – Scotland’s independent regeneration network – in partnership with the Scottish Government.
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| Burns Monument Centre, Kilmarnock |
The awards recognise and reward best practice in community regeneration, using the work carried out in successful towns as best practice across Scotland.
They are widely recognised as the ‘most prestigious’ in the field of Scottish community regeneration, and aim to identify, celebrate and share the positive impacts of participative planning and regeneration processes in urban settlements of all sizes across Scotland.
The two Ayrshire towns will now be judged on by an independent panel of 22 judges, who will be looking at demonstrations of effective community engagement and participation.
Judges will also be looking for examples of improved economic opportunities and engagement with the private sector; how the town benefits people living in the town; and the use of pro-active planning and the ‘town centre first’ principle; as well as improvement in the town’s image, identity and ‘pride of place’.
Leader of East Ayrshire Council Douglas Reid added: “I am delighted that the improvements and regeneration of Kilmarnock have gained national recognition.
“After many years of hard work, the Victorian streetscape has been restored. We have a thriving independent retail sector and new town centre jobs have been created by both private and public sector organisations.
“And we have excellent restaurants and coffee shops, high quality entertainment and a diverse and dynamic cultural offering - just some of the successes of our regeneration programme.”
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