Scottish Government

What are case studies?

Case studies share what people and organisations have learned from delivering or developing a project or programme. They can help you to see what has worked on the ground and can give you ideas about how to tackle problems. They can also signpost you to people and organisations you may want to talk to.

Key contacts

Patrick Wiggins/Arthur Watson
Irvine Bay Regeneration Company
Tel: 01294 608634
Email: pwiggins@irvinebay.co.uk
awatson@irvinebay.co.uk

In a nutshell

This study visit looked at the work of the Irvine Bay Regeneration Company (the URC) in town centre regeneration. The visit was hosted by Patrick Wiggins (Chief Executive) and Arthur Watson (Development Manager) and focused on the regeneration of Ardrossan, Irvine and Kilwinning. A presentation gave an overview of the strategic regeneration of the towns, and was followed by a bus tour.

The URC was established in 2006 and is unique in a Scottish context in that its spatial boundary covers five separate towns - Ardrossan, Irvine, Kilwinning, Saltcoats and Stevenston. With the exception of Kilwinning, the other four are all sea front towns, with traditional Scottish coastal settings ¹.

The URC has core funding from North Ayrshire Council, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government, but leverages funding from other public and private sector sources.

The issues adressed

The URC has adopted a strategic approach to regeneration of its town centres with separate town plans prepared for Irvine and Kilwinning, and a combined three towns plan for Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. Copies of the full and summary plans can be accessed via the website.

Whilst there is an overarching regeneration need within the URC area, the issues to be addressed in each town are specific to local circumstances, with the content of the Town Plans reflecting local issues, need and opportunity to create places that people want to live and work in, and businesses want to invest in.

The approach

The URC focuses on physical project activity to support transformational change across its five towns to create the right setting and conditions for future private sector investment. At the core of the URC's strategy, is the creation of jobs and wealth for local residents.

The URC strategy specifically acknowledges the position of the area as part of the wider Glasgow region, recognising that the relationship has become fractured in recent years - the four seafront towns were traditional resort and day destinations for Glasgow's residents.

The Irvine Bay Masterplan was prepared in 2007 and sets five overall themes for the regeneration of Irvine Bay:

• iWork - business start-ups and employment
• iLive - provision of good quality housing
• iSea - playing to the area's greatest asset
• iPlay - leisure provision
• iBay - image change

These themes set the context for the development of the individual town plans, which focus on key (and supporting) project actions, designed to deliver transformational change.

A suite of supporting documents was prepared, including a Coastal Design Guide, Town Centre Design Guide and Public Arts Strategy - these give guidance on good/bad practice for planners, designers and developers.

Evidence of success

This section presents a review of project delivery within three of Irvine Bay's towns:

Ardrossan

Five key opportunities are identified for the regeneration of Ardrossan:

• water related business
• seafront housing
• leisure-basis for town centre
• accessibility
• existing character

The plan identifies three key development areas:

1. the heart of the town - creating a new town square at the junction of Glasgow Street and Princes Street linking the commercial centre, harbour activities, marina development and South Beach.
2. the sense of arrival - improving the main route into the town along Glasgow Street.
3. the promenade - rejuvenating the beach-front with interesting buildings, better parking and facilities.

Prominent and historic buildings in the town centre have been restored and brought back into economic use for a wine bar, restaurant, art gallery, artist studios, office space, residential and retail developments.

The URC is currently working with the NHS and a local medical practice to develop a new medical centre in the heart of the town, securing the restoration of a key listed building (the former police station on Harbour Street). This project will also expand the range of medical and dental services, with minimum cost input from the URC - the restoration of the building is expected to be covered through the sale of the NHS covenanted lease.

Remediation works have started on the North Shore site - a joint venture with Clydeport to develop around 400 high quality housing units over six development phases, with 4000 sqm of commercial space and a care home. The sale of the remediated Phase 1 site (six acres - 40-50 units) will fund remediation works for subsequent phases.

A key project for Ardrossan is the proposed extension of the marina from 250 to around 750 berths - this increased capacity is set within the wider Clyde and west coast sailing waters, and has recently been re-confirmed through updated demand analysis. A planning application is due to be submitted around spring-summer 2011, making Ardrossan the largest marina on the Clyde.

Kilwinning

The town plan for the regeneration of Kilwinning groups projects around five themes:

• Theme 1: re-pairing Kilwinning - the built form - restoring the sense of place and creating places for people
• Theme 2: re-connecting Kilwinning - movement and linkages - improving connections into and around the town
• Theme 3: re-defining Kilwinning - open space - improving the quality of open spaces through the use of high quality materials
• Theme 4: re-investing Kilwinning - business and enterprise - supporting existing and attracting new town centre businesses
• Theme 5: re-activating Kilwinning - community and health - improving quality of life an active, healthy and inclusive community

Kilwinning is the only non-coastal town and has a very different character to the other four towns. It has excellent transport connections, a higher education college that draws students and staff into the town, and is a historic abbey town. The focus in Kilwinning is about celebrating its past glory, creating the right conditions for investment in the town and improving connections.

The approach has been to focus on key areas within the town:

• Station Interchange - improvements are designed to transform the station into a high quality public transport hub, improving connections between train and bus services, and creating a welcoming gateway to the town. Additional parking provides park and ride, and new station facilities include retail, business space and visitor information maps.
• Lauchlan Way - improving connections between the college and the town centre, and enhanced car parking and signage improvements. In the longer term a residential development is proposed for this area.
• Main Street - major environmental upgrade works have been completed to rejuvenate the area, including: streetscape, signposting, shop fronts, lighting and public art. A central area (Abbeygate) has been created to host outdoor markets, festivals and town centre activities, designed to attract new footfall into the improved centre.
• Archaeological Dig - a focal project that generated significant support was the archaeological dig at the Abbey, which attracted 120 volunteers - this, together with project development activity with school pupils has created significant community interest and support in the town centre regeneration project.
• Western and Eastern Gateways - the areas at each end of Main Street are gateways that welcome people into the centre. Public realm works have created a welcoming entrance point into the centre for passing trade through paving, lighting, seating, planting and shop front upgrades. Longer term proposals include the redevelopment of key buildings to create new retail and residential accommodation and a new pedestrian bridge to improve connectivity into the centre.

Project activity has generated outcomes and impacts for Kilwinning include: nine new businesses, 10 premises refurbishments, apprenticeship/training/work placements, new farmers market operation and the establishment of a traders group.

Irvine

The regeneration plan for Irvine town centre is designed to address five key goals:

• Economy - to support economic development by diversifying and strengthening the towns employment base
• Destination - to regenerate Irvine town centre as the main retail, service and cultural destination for Irvine Bay and the wider Ayrshire area
• Image - to transform the image of the town centre, making the most of its historic buildings, streets and spaces whilst addressing the legacy of poor quality modern development
• Connections - to improve connections between the waterfront, train station, town centre and local residential communities
• Home - to create a town centre that meets the needs and aspirations of existing residents and attracts new inhabitants

Irvine is a historic town at its core, but is largely a new town developed in the post-war period. These two characteristics are evident throughout the centre with high quality traditional and listed buildings juxtaposed with poor quality modern developments. The plan recognises the need to re-establish Irvine as the sub-regional centre by improving its appearance and function and address the recent cycle of decline.

Key areas for regeneration and development are established in the plan:

• Bridgegate - this is a key entry point into Irvine town centre, linking the 1970s Rivergate Shopping Centre with the traditional high street. The proposal is to redevelop this area to upgrade buildings and improve the public realm, strengthening the connectivity between the old and new town areas. Key projects include upgrade to the 1970s Bridgegate House building, restoration of the Category 'A' listed Trinity Church and public realm works to create a new central plaza for the town.
• Civic Quarter - by improving access, parking and quality, the town will become more attractive to retailers, residents and shoppers. The Town House is a key historic building at a highly visible gateway site but needs significant restoration. The URC is working with North Ayrshire Council on a proposal to redevelop the building and adjacent site to accommodate a new leisure centre (replacing the current Magnum Centre). This will retain the buildings Category 'B' listed façade, provide an anchor use for the building, develop a high quality modern development on the adjacent site and create significant footfall within the town centre.
• Harbourside - the relocation of the Magnum Centre, into the Town House site, creates a major redevelopment opportunity defined by four elements:

• New Bridge Crossing - in the longer-term there is a proposal to build a new bridge into the town centre for pedestrians, cyclists and buses. This will improve links between the Harbourside, town centre and train station.

Key lessons

Two key lessons were identified by Irvine Bay URC:

1. The need for long-term commitment to the regeneration process, through a lead body with a local area focus and responsibility. Irvine Bay URC was established to address local regeneration needs - it has largely focused on physical project activity, but only where this will create the right conditions for future private sector investment. The long-term commitment of the URC has supported a strategic and phased to addressing key regeneration needs of the Irvine Bay area.
2. The need to focus on key priorities and deliverable projects to demonstrate commitment and generate interest. The URC has identified the three towns of Ardrossan, Kilwinning and Irvine as immediate priorities for regeneration, based on local need/opportunity - and within these towns has identified immediate priority projects that generate greatest impact for economic activity and improved place perception. The URC has delivered some projects in Saltcoats and Stevenston (including shop front improvements) but recognises that there will be a need for greater focus on these towns in the future.

One great thing

Irvine Bay URC has adopted a strategic approach to town centre regeneration, in line with its wider approach to area regeneration. The vision is to have five revitalised town centres with their own distinct and successful purpose, set within the context of a coastal park that spans the whole bay.

This has allowed the distinct issues and opportunities for each town to be considered, but set within the context of the wider area, ensuring that each town can maximise its potential while supporting (rather than detracting from) economic growth and employment opportunities for Irvine Bay.

Each of the town regeneration plans has been adopted by North Ayrshire Council as Supplementary Planning Guidance, providing the context for future development activity.

Notes

1. Irvine is a traditional Scottish coastal town, but was expanded in the 1950s-60s through the New Town Development Corporation.

Scottish Centre for Regeneration

This document is published by the Scottish Centre for Regeneration, which is part of Scottish Government. We support our public, private and voluntary sector delivery partners to become more effective at:

• regenerating communities and tackling poverty
• developing more successful town centres and local high streets
• creating and managing mixed and sustainable communities
• making housing more energy efficient
• managing housing more efficiently and effectively

We do this through:

• coordinating learning networks which bring people together to identify the challenges they face and to support them to tackle these through events, networking and capacity building programmes
• identifying and sharing innovation and practice through publishing documents detailing examples of projects and programmes and highlighting lessons learned
• developing partnerships with key players in the housing and regeneration sector to ensure that our activities meet their needs and support their work

Scottish Centre for Regeneration
Scottish Government
Highlander House
58 Waterloo Street
Glasgow
G2 7DA
Tel: 0141 271 3736
Email: contactscr@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
www.partnersinregeneration.com