North Ayrshire Council has announced a Capital Budget of £434 million to support investment in buildings, infrastructure and regeneration projects and the newly-approved programme will see a focus on a number of significant projects, including the Millport Flood Protection Scheme, the new Ardrossan Community Campus and Montgomerie Park School in Irvine.

In addition, the capital budget will have a sustained focus on protecting the environment through projects such as the Council's solar PV farms at Shewalton and Nethermains and the decarbonisation of the Council's transport fleet.

Rising inflation and increased costs for construction materials have had an impact on the capital plan but the budget has been managed to ensure it will continue to deliver ambitious and regenerative projects.

Cabinet Member for Finance and Procurement, Councillor Christina Larsen, said: "The Capital Budget can be key to securing significant investment into major projects which will have a positive impact right across North Ayrshire.

"The investment we have secured in the Capital Budget has perhaps never been more important as we continue to recover from the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and the current Cost-of-Living Crisis.

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"Although the current financial climate remains volatile, we're delighted to confirm our commitment to major developments such as the new campus in Ardrossan, the upgrade of the B714, and the new school at Montgomerie Park.

"The capital plan will also have a strong focus on protecting the environment and helping our drive towards becoming a Carbon-neutral council, through the development of projects such as the flood protection schemes on Millport, the creation of our own solar PV farms, and the new promenade seawall at Largs."

Projects approved in the Capital Budget which will help us build a sustainable future and look after our environment include:

• Over £46million for the Millport Flood Protection Scheme, with 80 per cent of the funding coming from the Scottish Government and the remaining 20 per cent funded by North Ayrshire Council. This is in addition to the £18.5million Upper Garnock Valley Flood Protection Scheme which was recently completed.

• £6.224million included in the capital programme as part of a total initial investment of £12million in Solar PV.

• further investment to help us transition our fleet to lower-carbon alternatives.

Elected members also agreed to maintain levels of investment in North Ayrshire's roads with a total planned expenditure of approximately £31million to 2030/31.

In tandem with that, the availability of EV charging points throughout North Ayrshire will be increased as the number of electric vehicles on our roads continues to rise.

Also included within the Capital Plan is a £23.7million investment – following a successful bid from the Levelling-Up Fund - for the upgrading of the B714 which will significantly improve connectivity within North Ayrshire and between North Ayrshire and Glasgow, the Central Belt and wider motorway network.

The Capital Budget includes a commitment of up to £9.79million to help deliver the expansion of universal free meals in our schools.

The Budget will also support a diverse range of core infrastructure projects such as an £8million investment into street lighting, £1.16million into our renewal of playparks across North Ayrshire, and £5.26million into our Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes programme.