Owners of empty and difficult to let shops in Ardrossan are being encouraged to seek help from Irvine Bay Regeneration Company.

The regeneration company - which works within the five towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston, Irvine and Kilwinning - is already heavily involved in bringing new life to the area's high streets.

Work in Ardrossan to date has included creating high quality new shops in Princes Street which are now filled by successful businesses and, of course, the refurbishment of the Pump House to create a popular new restaurant. Other work in the town sees landmark buildings, such as the Lyric, being refurbished to create new flats and offices.

In addition, the local town regeneration plan includes specific measures to help improve shop frontages.

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The regeneration company believes that around 15-20% of retail space in the town is empty. Arthur Watson, Development Manager Irvine Bay Regeneration Company said: "We are working with our partners and stakeholders to help bring businesses into empty units and, in some cases, we have already provided gap funding.

"We are keen to work with the owners of empty retail properties, and would encourage them to contact us to see how we can help them get their units occupied."

Mr Watson described regenerating a town as a "holistic exercise".

"We are trying to bring about improvements to the retail offering, but that is not in isolation. We are also improving the quality of office space available to help bring more businesses to the area, and they will in turn spend money in the local shops. We are also seeking to create new and better housing, which encourages people to live in the area and, again, they will spend more in the local shops," he said.

The company welcomed the prospect of further investment in Ardrossan and the other towns in Irvine Bay from the £60m Town Centre Regeneration Fund set up by the Scottish Government.

Arthur Watson added: "We will be monitoring the situation and the details of the scheme and we would be very willing to work with local retailers to maximise the impact of any funding that might be available."

(GK/JM)