Wishlist for two Ayrshire villages announced as plans get green light

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Bold plans for two East Ayrshire towns have been given the green light to progress.The ‘Place Plans’ for Auchinleck and Darvel bring together a wishlist drawn up after discussions with the local communities.They were approved by East Ayrshire Council’s cabinet last Wednesday.A report to the cabinet stated: “Place plans are a realistic assessment of which land-use based projects can make most impact in achieving the Scottish Government’s six qualities of successful places that is: distinctive, safe and pleasant, easy to move around, welcoming, adaptable and sustainable.“Place plans will help guide future development and assist the council and local communities in future funding bids and in targeting resources.“Wherever possible Place Plan are derived from community priorities identified through local community engagement activities such as a Community Action Plans (CAP).”The Auchinleck plan focuses improving the appearance and enhancement of the local environment, including Main Street, surrounding areas, green spaces and drainage problems at Merlin Park, as well as key buildings and development sites in the village which have a detrimental impact on place.The local steering group raised a number of areas for improvement.

These include improving road and path maintenance, safety improvements for pedestrians/cyclists; litter and fly tipping and possibility of CCTV cameras and additional street lighting.The report continues: “Other major factors include encouraging more local businesses to locate in Main Street, by promoting vacant premises and investigating the opportunity to develop a community cafe; increasing opportunities to attract tourism, by means of developing a heritage trail to promote the diverse industrial