Ayr Your Views - Public Realm consultation

Ayr Town Centre - Strategy and Action Plan

This document sets out South Ayrshire Council's plan to reinvent Ayr High Street as a result of the national decline in retail.

The Council's strategy is focused on bringing about changes that will help improve social, cultural and economic activities that will boost the local economy, improve the visual appearance and attractiveness of Ayr as a destination and reinvigorate the historic borough town.

The first part of the document explains the Council's strategy for the high street followed by a summary of the recent consultation exercise `Ayr Your Views' where people were asked for their thoughts on what the Council was planning to do.

The action plan has been developed to provide further detail and timeframes for a number of projects that the Council is looking to take forward to deliver the strategy.

Further public consultation exercises specific to each of these projects will take place as they move through the design and planning stages.

View the Strategy and Action Plan.

Ayr Your Views - survey results (Tuesday 27 & Wednesday 28 November 2018)

Thanks to everyone who had their say on Council proposals which could transform Ayr town centre for many years to come.

Nearly 200 of you attended the drop in sessions and we received 2,700 completed surveys.

What's really inspiring is the number of young people contributing to the debate with nearly half of the responses coming from those 17 years of age and under.

As you know the consultation focused on 3 key areas - the Citadel Leisure Centre, the riverside site, and residential accommodation in the town centre.

A brief summary of the results is outlined below, or view full results.

Overview

79% of people completing the survey come into the town centre to shop with 53% visiting the high street to eat and drink.

The survey also reveals that if a modern entertainment complex, new leisure facilities and regular events were introduced then people would be encouraged into the town more often.

Citadel

The majority of those surveyed felt the Citadel should be replaced with a more modern facility and if it were to move closer to the town centre then 33% of respondents would use it more often than they do now.

Riverside site

Following on from the positive feedback from the Ayr Your Views consultation for the Ayr Riverside site, design proposals are being developed for a new public space situated on the riverside site, adjacent to the High Street.

Last year, on 13 November, we held an initial ideas workshop public engagement event at The Grain Exchange, 77-81 High Street, Ayr. The event was the first in a series of planned public engagement events, where 218 of you turned up to Ayr Your Views. 

The proposal to create public space at the riverside site received support from 62% of respondents who liked the idea of creating a space for events, pop-up markets, exhibitions and performance. The idea of incorporating landscaping that celebrated local art, history and culture was also well received.

Residential

The proposal to convert empty shops into homes for people to live in was supported by 57% of those surveyed with 49% also supporting a small number of residential units, in keeping with the character of the area, at the riverside site.