Time for a check up – on Kilmarnock Town Centre
Kilmarnock Town Centre has undergone many positive changes in the last few years, with the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) Funding, Town Centre Regeneration Fund and East Ayrshire Council funding to improve the built environment and restore many of its historic buildings using sympathetic materials and methods and make them fit for modern use.
East Ayrshire Council's Planning and Development team is working hard to create vibrant, safe and economically viable town centres for businesses to thrive and people to prosper. As part of that process, under Scottish Government policy, Town Centre Health Checks are now being run every two years, to chart progress and provide information to inform future development decisions.
The latest Town Centre Health Check for Kilmarnock is now open online and will run until 30 September. Commenting on the process, Councillor Jim Roberts, Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure said: “Our town centres in East Ayrshire have received substantial investment in recent years, from improvements made to Galston town centre through the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) to the redevelopment of the Glaisnock Centre in Cumnock to provide new shop units built in a sympathetic style.
“This survey for Kilmarnock is the first in a series which follows a similar exercise run for the first time in 2016. It aims to gain an understanding of how well the centres of Kilmarnock, Cumnock, Dalmellington, Galston, Kilmarnock and Stewarton are performing in terms of image/identity, attractiveness, accessibility and safety. The results of the survey will be used in the production of a new Town Centre Health Check. This will be used to help inform future planning and investment decisions to help improve all our town centres.”
The survey is available on the East Ayrshire Council website consultation page and runs from the 1 to the 30 September