The refurbished centre of Irvine will be designed to be as accessible as possible.

Irvine Bay Regeneration Company and North Ayrshire Council are to meet with the North Ayrshire Access Panel on January 30th in Ardrossan to talk through the plans and progress for the revitalisation of Irvine town centre.

In particular, the ongoing discussion will look at the regeneration company’s plans to carry out major public realm works at Bridgegate and access for users of the new sports centre and customer service centre that will be created within Bridgegate House.

Patrick Wiggins, Chief Executive of Irvine Bay, said: "We worked closely with the North Ayrshire Access Panel in the work that was carried out in the successful transformation of Kilwinning Main Street, and we would propose to have the same constructive collaboration on this even bigger project."

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Councillor David O’Neill, Leader of North Ayrshire Council, said: "The importance of accessibility cannot be underestimated. We are looking to make Irvine town centre a more attractive and vibrant place to be. A huge part of that is making it as easy as possible for everyone to get about in the town centre. That, of course, requires us to listen to what local people want."

One in five adults in North Ayrshire has mobility problems, so ensuring accessibility is vitally important. Following on from the consultations in Kilwinning, a number of steps were taken to make access easier, including bigger parking bays, appropriate road and pavement surfacing and improved signage.

Jean Gilbert, Chair of the North Ayrshire Access Panel said: "We welcome the consultation work being carried out regarding the work in Irvine, and we would hope it meets with the same positive outcome that we saw in Kilwinning, which has been a great success."

(GK)