Residents in North Ayrshire are being invited to submit their views over plans to either demolish or upgrade tower blocks in the region.

A consultation has been launched to decide what future action to take for the five high-rise blocks in Irvine and two further structures in Saltcoats.

With 369 flats in total across the two sites, council staff are holding discussions with residents of all the properties and it is hoped the majority of one-to-one sessions will be completed within the first two weeks, however the consultation will continue after that in an effort to engage with as many affected people as possible.

At the meetings, residents will get the chance to hear in detail the options for the tower blocks as well the potential process for re-housing people if and when work gets under way. There are three potential options for the future of the tower blocks;

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• Option 1 - Retain all seven towers blocks and launch an improvements programme, including installation of sprinklers, alongside regular maintenance at a total cost of £22.5 million over 25 years

• Option 2 - Demolish all seven blocks and replace with low-rise housing constructed on-site and elsewhere, at a net additional cost of £22.1m, to be completed by 2023.

• Option 3 - Demolish the five Irvine tower blocks only, with replacement low rise housing constructed on-site and elsewhere, and retain the Saltcoats tower blocks, at a net additional cost of £14.4m.

In the five Fullarton blocks, there are no owner occupiers, however, around one-third of the Saltcoats high flats properties are privately owned, including some with private tenants. Discussions with these private owners and tenants– as well as Council tenants – will form a major part in the engagement exercise.

Council Leader Joe Cullinane said: "Our residents are at the heart of these proposals and we are very keen to find out their thoughts and answer any questions they may have.

"We have already made a commitment to build more than 1000 new council houses across North Ayrshire over the next four years and, combined with the potential proposals for our high flats, this represents one of the most ambitious council house building programmes in Scotland.

"I believe this is a fantastic opportunity to change people's lives for the better and really transform both the Fullarton and Saltcoats communities."

A report on the outcome of the consultation is expected to be brought before Cabinet this summer, with the next steps to be considered at that stage.

(LM/MH)