News

Councillors and local community representatives with an interest in regeneration gathered in Kilmarnock’s newest green space, St Marnock Square, to unveil a new interpretation board last week.  The second board to be placed in the square, its unveiling celebrates the people who have passed through the area over the centuries while marking the dawn of a new use and purpose for the town centre venue.

Have you ever wandered around the Scottish countryside and wondered about the names of lochs and burns, hills and fields, or houses, farms and villages?

East Ayrshire’s Coalfield Communities Landscape Partnership (CCLP), a £6.5million  National Lottery Heritage Heritage Fund (NHLH) project, which started work in 2016, is drawing to a close.

A major funding award of £3.2m from Transport Scotland will act as a catalyst for the creation of an ambitious masterplan for Kilmarnock town centre. The funding will accelerate the transformation of the former multi-storey car park site, marking a significant milestone in the town’s regeneration plans.

On Saturday 25 October 2025, Marks and Spencer Plc announced plans to move from their current location in King Street, Kilmarnock to Queens Drive on the outskirts of the town.

The Douglas Valley Advisory Group (DVAG), a community group set up to direct large-scale, strategic investment proposals in the local area, is looking for community members from  Muirkirk to join the group.

Top planners from all over Scotland will focus on  “The Power of Planning – a Force for Good” as they gather for their prestigious annual conference at Kilmarnock’s Centrestage this month.

Partnership working, inward investment and regeneration in Kilmarnock were the focus as UK Government Minister Alex Norris MP came to town to meet with enthusiastic representatives of the many organisations who are collaborating to bring about exciting new changes in the area.

Moves to create a proposed National Park in the South West of Scotland got conditional endorsement from East Ayrshire Councillors  as they agreed their submission to the National Park Consultation at their Cabinet meeting this week.

Planning Permission in Principle has been granted for a major expansion of the Moorfield industrial park in Kilmarnock as part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal.

East Ayrshire Council and East Ayrshire Leisure Trust (EALT) are hosting a community information session to give members of the public an opportunity to view design proposals for Cultural Kilmarnock, including the refurbishment of the Palace Theatre and Grand Hall complex in Kilmarnock.

The drop-in event will take place on Thursday 29 August between 4:30pm and 7pm, in the foyer of the Palace Theatre.

Large scale drawings and artists impressions will be on display along with a fly-round video presentation of the proposals. Visitors will also have an opportunity to discuss the project with members of the project team and to provide feedback on the proposals.

The latest piece of Supplementary Guidance to sit alongside East Ayrshire Council’s recently adopted Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2), has gone out to public consultation.