Kilbirnie News Page

Police Scotland announce consultation on a proposal to further cut opening hours at Kilbirnie Police Station. Local councillor John Bell and the Community council have both registered strong objections to the proposal to cut the service, citing the risks of a breakdown in trust and in communications between the public and the police service with the limited ability to discuss issues face to face.

SNP finally agree to keep Moorpark open. The committee heard the results of the consultation which made clear that although the community could see the benefits of being part of a new academy these benefits were outweighed by the difficulties posed by the remote isolated Longbar site. The parents voted overwhelmingly to keep Moorpark out of the Garnock project if it was to go ahead so far from the town. 11/6/13

Kilbirnie BB Gala Day Kirk House 10 till 1 Sat 22nd June. Lots of fun for all 9/6/13

Moorpark Primary school future to be decided by North Ayrshire "Cabinet" on Tuesday 11th June. The meeting will receive a report on the consultation following the SNP Councils change to a remote and isolated site at Longbar for the project, parents who back the project are overwhelmingly against the inclusion of Moorpark in the project at this site and have campaigned to select a site more central to the community.. 6/6/13

Moorpark Primary School Summer fete 10-12 Saturday 8th June Beatthegoalie, soak the teacher, Home Baking, Face Painting, and lots more 1/6/13

Kilbirnie Civic week Queen crowning ceremony 12:30 Saturday 8th June Radio City followed by Craft Fair. 1/6/13

KCFC Dance 7 till late Dance to Distant Sun at Garnock Club. Tickets Ł3 pay at the door or see your member teams. 1/6/13

Kilbirnie Regeneration continues. The launch of the latest project which commits Ł500k from Historic Scotland which will be matched by NAC takes place at Walker Hall on Tuesday 4th June at 4:30 where local councillor John Bell will launch the project. 22/5/13

Honours for heroes of Salvation Army social and community work

The Salvation Army has paid tribute to the unsung heroes of its social and community services, who go the extra mile in delivering exceptional support programmes and services.

The George Steven Centre won the Inclusion and Empowerment of People Award. Based in Glasgow, the centre puts an emphasis on inclusion to the extent that services users are part of the decision making process. Service users who sit on boards recieve adequate training and have support to enable people to suit the individual. As well as this the group have been involved in creating the ‘National Charter for Involvement’ which is now a national document. This charter is about service users being included in making decisions and what they would expect from a good service. Through their work by having a stake in their own centre, service users are beginning to have a stake in their society once more. Speaking at the ceremony, Centre Manager Elaine Harvey said, “I have only been in post four weeks, so I accept this on behalf of the service users who make every day worthwhile, and obviously the staff who support them as well. Thank you very much.”

Brenda Biggar from the George Steven Centre won our Exceptional Contribution Award for Special Needs and Learning Disabilities. Brenda is a stalwart volunteer in the Blend In Café at the centre and is always prepared to work extra hard to help. Brenda not only manages the kitchen and cage, but also manages the provision of work placements for many of the service users there. With the support of Brenda and her team, this will enable many of them to be able to transfer the skills learned into possible future work opportunities.
Brenda said, “Thank you very much...this is really appreciated for the George Steven centre, more so for the service users.” 7/3/13

Moorpark Parents again vote overwhelmingly against being part of the proposed Garnock campus if it is to be sited at the remote and isolated Longbar site.

Kilbirnie company nets over Ł3m in three years with Scottish Sea Farms · Rolling programme of investment to continue in 2013 W&J Knox in Kilbirnie has worked closely with the aquaculture firm during an expansion period for both businesses and 2013 now promises a similar level of annual investment. Scottish Sea Farms continues to expand its operations and will work with W&J Knox on maintenance and supply of new nets for the salmon fish farming cages required for its sites around Scotland. Jim Gallagher, Managing Director, Scottish Sea Farms, commented: “We have a long standing relationship with W&J Knox and it is good to know that we are supporting independent Scottish businesses like this. We ordered approximately 160 nets last year and were really happy with both the product and the levels of customer service we received.” Managing Director of W&J Knox, Jim Traynor, commented: “We employ 120 people here in Kilbirnie and with clients like Scottish Sea Farms we have managed steady growth over the past few years. With all the bad news stories regarding the recession we are delighted to be working with Scottish Sea Farms again in 2013.” 3/1/12

Moorpark Primary Parents resounding no to the Longbar. Over 80% of those parents and carers who responded to the council's preliminary consultation voted to keep the school out of the Campus if it is to be located at Longbar. The council's SNP Cabinet will now be forced to go through a formal statutory consultation where they will also seek to amend the catchment area to prevent Moorpark being overcrowded as parents seek to avoid being forced to send their children to the remote Longbar site. 12/12/12

"A heated discussion took place at Monday night's meeting of the Kilbirnie and Glengarnock Community Forum with regards to the proposed new school campus. Before the council vote on 7th November, local parents had organised a petition with almost 2600 names to be submitted in protest to the site 7 in the Longbar area. Unfortunately, the SNP put party politics ahead of the will of the electorate and voted 18-12 in favour of this site. Concerns were raised again on Monday night over issues of safe routes to school, lack of buses for pupils as well as concerns about the suitability of the land due to previous mining activities. SNP Councillor Dickson told those assembled that there was no plan B site and that if the project did not go ahead on Site 7 then the whole project could be cancelled. She also put parents' concerns down to "a lack of self-esteem". Councillors Bell and Highgate have repeatedly tried to get parents' views recognised but their pleas appear to be falling on deaf ears."23/11/12

North Ayrshire councillors voted by 18 to 12 to site the new Garnock campus at Longbar. The SNP administration and their coalition tried to prevent discussion of the topic and to go to a vote quickly. Labour group leader Peter McNamara moved an amendment to site the school at Stoneyholm Road, Kilbirnie, pointing out this would make the school more accessible for Kilbirnie students and would maintain the free school transport for those from Beith and Dalry. However this was only supported by the 11 Labour members and independent Jean Highgate. 7/11/12

Scottish Secretary Michael Moore visited Kilbirnie today at the invitation of local MP Katy Clark. He visited a number of local businesses and held a roundtable meeting in the Walker Hall with an invited audience of local young people, businesses and community groups with the topic of unemployment and deprivation on the agenda. Mike and Katy took the time to listen to local concerns regarding the site of the new Garnock Campus campus, (containing a single merged Kilbirnie Primary and Nursery school, a replacement Garnock Pool as well as a replacement academy) on their way in to the meeting. Locals are reacting to the new council administration planning to place the campus at Longbar, despite this being previously ruled out following consultation, local people stated that the site was too remote from the community and that there were no safe walking routes to the site. Pupils from Beith would no longer qualify for a free school bus if the Longbar site was chosen.

Moorpark parents present case for Kilbirnie and Beith to council. Parents from Moorpark PS presented their case to NACs Scrutiny and Petitions committee on Tuesday. They pointed out that there were others sites closer to the town centre which would mean shorter and safer walking distances for the majority of users, and Beith and Dalry Pupils would still be eligible for free school transport. Following public consultation the council had planned to site the school near to Stoneyholm Rd. due to the concerns about the distance to and safety of routes to Longbar, however the new SNP administration has decided to reinstate Longbar as the site for the Campus which would contain a single primary school and nursery for Kilbirnie, a replacement Garnock academy and Garnock Pool. 11/10/12 . Scrutinyminute

Garnock Site Selection Deferred At the Council meeting a proposal to site the school Campus at Longbar was deferred until the next council meeting scheduled for 7th November. The SNP leadership had tried to force the decision through after only giving parents and communities 6 days notice of the change to the site which following concerns raised at the statutory consultation was planned to go to a site near Stoneyholm Road. Locals quickly organised a petition, currently with just over 500 signatures, which was delivered to the council Chief Executive. A majority of councillors supported a motion to defer the decision in order to allow petitioners to present their case to the Councils Scrutiny and Petitions committee. Four possible sites had been involved in the original consultation with locals strongly in favour of sites on Largs Rd and Stonetyolm Road which would mean most of the schools users, the 970 nursery primary and secondary pupils from Kilbirnie, would be within reasonable walking distances, and the secondary pupils from Beith and Dalry would continue to be eligible for free school transport. 19/9/12

Garnock Academy. At a recent Council meeting on the preferred site, it became clear that the ruling SNP group seem determined to site the Campus at Longbar, Beith despite sites in this area being previously rejected following parental consultation. Subsequently consultants had recommended 2 sites, off Largs Road and off Stoneyholm Road, as providing the best opportunity. Councillor John Bell said "Choosing Longbar as the site for a single Kilbirnie Primary School would be a disaster for parents and pupils in Kilbirnie and Beith as well as Kilbirnie town centre shops and businesses. The Longbar site is isolated and too far from the main housing areas and will mean an increased reliance on cars and buses to get kids to school. The SNP seem more eager to save money from cutting free school transport for Beith pupils than they do in choosing the best site for the Campus. 31/8/12

At North Ayrshire council meeting Strathclyde police announced plan for further cuts to station opening hrs including Kilbirnie and Largs. They plan to cut opening hours to 9 till 5 Monday to Friday 28/6/12

Kilbirnie has been awarded from Central Scotland Green Network to improve access to the Sustrans Cycle Path from the town centre. Councillor John Bell said "the cycle route is a fantastic asset to the area and improved access to and from the town centre will be a considerable benefit to both local users and businesses who will benefit from extra custom. I congratulate the council's access officer on the successful funding application." 23/05/12

BT to upgrade Kilbirnie Exchange for faster broadband http://www.allmediascotland.com/media_releases/33893/faster-broadband-for-124-000-more-scots-homes-and-businesses. Brendan Dick, BT Scotland director, said: “The technology is having a major impact on our everyday lives and changing for the better the way we live, helping businesses work more efficiently and flexibly and find new markets. And communities are better able to make use of the huge range of on-line educational and entertainment opportunities available. But there is still much work to be done and we want to work with the public sector to find solutions for even the most challenging locations.” This investment in the copper network is in addition to BT’s Ł2.5 billion roll-out of fibre-based broadband, which will bring even faster speeds to around two-thirds of UK premises by the end of 2014. Some 94 Scottish exchange areas covering around 836,000 premises have been included in the fibre upgrade plan to date. 22-5-12

North Ayrshire Council Ward 7 - Kilbirnie and Beith Election results

The percentage poll was 41.68%
Elma Murray, as Returning Officer, declared that after application of the Single Transferable Vote count rules, the following were duly elected to serve as Councillor for Ward 7 - Kilbirnie & Beith

SNP councillor reported to Standards commissioner for Conflict of Interest. Following her move to alter the local plan the SNP councillor has been reported to the Standards commissioner after it emerged she still has a financial interest in Kilbirnie Land Ltd which is attempting to sell a neighbouring site for housing development. Although the company is in Administration the Councillor has a joint personal Guarantee of Ł100,000 on the companys Ł1.7 million loan from RBS. 30-4-2012

With the local elections due to take place on Thursday May 3rd, 8 candidates have emerged to fight for the 3 available seats on North Ayrshire council. The election wills again use the proportional representation system so voters should vote for the candidates by putting 1 against their first choice, 2 against the second, 3 against third and so on.

At a the recent meeting of North Ayrshire councils Executive councillor John Bell raised the issue of the need to improve insulation in the councils timber housing stock. The meeting discussed the Council’s support for reducing fuel poverty, maximising fuel efficiency in its housing stock and supporting efficient energy use in housing generally.

Executive members heard of actions taken to improve the energy efficiency, including the installation of energy efficient boilers and improvements to the fabric of existing dwellings. The Head of Community Care and Housing undertook to submit a report to a future meeting of the Executive on the outcome of work to examine options for improving the energy efficiency of the Council's timber housing stock. Councillor Bell said “The councils Timber houses are notoriously poorly insulated and we need to examine options for tenants in these particular houses. While currently over 90% of the Council's housing stock attains the minimum standard we need to achieve this on the remaining stock.

Olga Clayton, NAC’s Head of Community Care and Housing undertook to submit a report to a future meeting of the Executive on the outcome of work to examine options for improving the energy efficiency of the Council's timber housing stock.30/4/12

SNP motives in abandoning Lochshore regeneration questioned. SNPcorruptionstory The Scotland on Sunday reports on the local SNP councillors company debts and their attempts to sell off a site allocated for housing in order to pay off bank debts of Ł1.7m, the councillor has also given a joint personal guarantee of Ł100,000 on the loan. The article points out that the councillor was behind a planning change which blocks the Scottish Enterprise plan to regenerate the Steelworks site but is likely to increase the value of her landholding in the neighbouring site. 15/4/12

SNP move to end Lochshore regeneration plans. Long awaited plans to regenerate the Lochshore former steelworks site were dealt a blow when the associated housing allocation, which would generate the funds to deal with the contaminated land issues and provide investment in the Glengarnock business park, was removed from the Council's Local Development Plan. Since the housing market crash in 2008 there has been little interest in new build housing locally and many property speculators including Kilbirnie Land Ltd have faced financial difficulty and in that case go into Administration. 21/3/12

Garnock Flood Prevention update
With the Scottish Government deciding not to fund major capital works over the past five years. The Councils Executive Committee made available funding in 2011 for the implementation of flood assistance and community resiliance work to aid householders in the at risk areas to protect their properties. Following surveys of all affected properties by the Scottish Flood Forum, arrangements are now being made to purchase vent covers and door protection - initially piloting work around selected Council houses, then making assistance available to private house owners. Private owners will be able to benefit from the Council's procurement opportunities to obtain equipment at competitive prices.
Co-ordinating with SEPA a CCTV camera is being introduced on the river to allow real-time monitoring, via the Council's website, of water levels. Because flash flood events happen very quickly, rainfall gauges and water flow devices are also being introduced to try and provide an improved warning system for the local community with the aid of SEPA. The Council will provide Flood sacs in Bins at selected locations within the at risk areas.
The Scottish Government has now announced it will accept bids from Councis to provide funding of 80%on a strategic basis through a bidding process. It is anticipated that a submission to the Government for a Flood Prevention Order for the River Garnock will be made by December 2012. Design work on a final scheme is now underway using accurate rainfall data from SEPA.
The Council has allocated Ł2m within the Capital programme to progress the work providing the Scottish Government support is obtained. In the meantime money was allocated to contract consultants to complete the necessary technical work to reach Flood Order stage by the end of 2012. 21/3/12

Regeneration Update- the North Ayrshire council's Labour executive have committed funding to improve the Town Centres of Kilbirnie and Beith. Here is an update on the progress in Kilbirnie

The majority of the work in Bridge Street has been completed apart from the resurfacing of the pavement area, the installation of the new telephone box, and the railing at the access ramp. The pavement will be resurfaced once the lighting columns have been removed and the railing will be installed shortly. Bollards are to be installed to stop drivers parking on the surface.
At the Maybole Bridge or outside the Institute the kerbside has been edged with decorative blocks and the pavement area will be resurfaced. To soften the asphalt surface, a coloured layer will be applied to the surface this will take place after the lighting columns are removed.
The Puffin Crossing on Main street will be fully installed following the removal of the lighting columns. The plan to cover the derelict building at 2 Main Street with a wrap cover continues, this will depicting a traditional shop front which will be in keeping with the properties that have been upgraded through the Shop Front Grant Scheme.

The Shop Front Grant Scheme works continue and work to Benny's Fish an Chip Shop is currently being carried out and final additions to Jesalina's will be completed once the dust from the capital works settles!

In the next few weeks three bus shelters in the town will be dressed in Kilbirnie Cares branding, a new welcome and goodbye signs (at the Library and Anam Cara), a new sign at Maybole Bridge highlighting information about the River Garnock and local walking and cycling routes. Over the next few weeks, retail businesses in Kilbirnie, Beith, Dalry and Largs will receive questionnaires which aim to help us establish exactly what small retail businesses in town centres require to help overcome barriers to business growth and identify the type of support required. The questionnaire will also be available on-line. The results of this will inform council strategy for 2012/13 in terms of targeted business support.

Pregnant mums take to the pool
Expectant mums in the Garnock Valley are keeping fit and making new friends – by taking to the water. Helped by local midwives and a specialist fitness instructor, the mums-to be are taking part in weekly aqua exercise classes at Garnock Swimming Pool in Kilbirnie. Held every Monday evening at 8.30pm, the class offers a combination of aerobic and muscular strength exercises. Due to the buoyancy and feeling of weightlessness the water provides, joints are supported and movement feels much easier and can actually help ease the fatigue, aches and pains associated with pregnancy. The classes are run by the K:A Leisure Health and Fitness team. A spokesperson said: “Anyone who would like to join the classes can either turn up on the night or if they require any further information they can contact the Health and Fitness team on 01294 605128. “The classes really are a great way to get fit and healthy before the baby’s birth. It’s also a chance to meet other mums-to-be and make new friends.” K:A Leisure is also offering the chance to Facebook and Twitter fans to win a variety of fitness related prizes, including a year’s free K:A Fitness membership. Simply follow K:A Leisure at www.facebook.com/KALeisure or http://twitter.com/KALeisure for a chance to win Details of all K:A Leisure swimming activities can be found at www.kaleisure.com/swimming-activities.html 26/1/12

Kilbirnie Main street resurfacing. carriageway resurfacing and lighting work, which will require a road closure on B780 Main Street, Kilbirnie on Sunday 22/01/12 and from Sunday 29/01/2011 until Sunday 5/02/2011 or the duration of the works. A diversion route will be in place as the works, part of the town centre regeneration work by the council, take place. 7/1/12

MEN'S NIGHT - Can't Cook Won't Cook Theme - Wednesday 8th February 2012 - 7.30pm-9pm.
Every second Wednesday of every month there will be a Men's Night at Kilbirnie Gospel Hall (next to the police station) from 7.30-8.30pm. As a launch night on Wed 8th Feb 2012 the night is open for both men and women for 'Can't Cook Won't Cook' where two teams will battle to create the best dish, followed by a short talk. All are welcome to attend this free event. 6/1/12

North Ayrshire Council has developed an ambitious Ł21m flood management scheme for the Garnock Valley. The project would build upon the existing flood defences in Kilbirnie, Glengarnock and Dalry and provide protection for almost 380 properties that face serious risk of flooding. The Council’s Executive considered a range of options but chose the most comprehensive approach. Councillors agreed to officers’ recommendation to submit the Ł21m full flood management scheme to the Scottish Government, seeking a share of an expected Ł73m funding scheme for national flood mitigation. The timeline for consideration of the Strategy by the Scottish Government has yet to be announced. The strategy agreed by the Executive calls on the Council to consider full or partial implementation of the scheme dependent on the level of funding the Council receives from the Scottish Government. Work will now commence to develop the design of the flood scheme. At the executive meeting Cllr John Bell emphasised the importance of the council taking the plan to Flood Prevention Order without delay. 8/12/11

A Christmas Open Day will be held on Saturday 10th December 2011 from 10am-2pm with lots of fun for all ages. There will be soup, mince pies, Xbox, cupcake decorating, crafts, carol singers and more! All are invited to Kilbirnie Gospel Hall, School Wynd (next to the police station).

Scottish Government Flood Prevention. In its recent draft spending proposals for 2012-13 the Scottish government has hinted it may use Ł42million per annum to finance strategic capital projects. Councillor John Bell commented that "this may open the door for the council to obtain the necessary government finance to take forward its Garnock flood prevention scheme. 11/11/11

North Ayrshire Council's Executive allocated funding for town centre regeneration in its budgets for 2010,2011 and 2012. Over Ł200000 will be spent on improvement and regeneration projects in Kilbirnie town centre and the project will then focus on Beith and Largs in 2012.

Works so far have included a Shopfront Grant scheme to allow local shops to improve their visual impact.

The Newton St. Carpark extension: adding the area formerly Tampson's pub and improving the layout.

Former police station. The temporary carpark on the site of the Police station is in use and has also been used for the mobile football pitch over the summer as well, as part of a joint project with the police to create opportunities for young people.

Around the Cross area. The proposal is to extend the completed streetscaping at Bridge St. onto the junction of the Cross and Main Street past the telephone box. On the other side of the road the area in front of the Knox Insitute and Jessalina’s will resurfaced in a similar fashion

Planters are to be installed at Bridge St. and around the Newton St. Carpark

Main St. : The Puffin Crossing/ Street Lighting/ Decorative Lighting Infrastructure are now being incorporated into the Roads and Infrastructure Main St. re-surfacing programme. This next phase of works is now planned to start in the middle of January.

Kilbirnie Citizens Advice Service saved. The groups board have agreed that all offices will remain open until at least 31st March 2012. The organisation had earlier planned to close the Kilbirnie ie office at the end of July but reconsidered following pressure from local councillors.1/9/11

CAB office under threat. NACAS have announced the planned closure of Kilbirnie office siting at the end of July. Volunteers have contacted local councillors who have backed their campaign to preserve this service for the Garnock Valley. 21/7/11

Garnock site challenged by SNP. SNP councillors Alan Hill (Largs) and William Gibson (Saltcoats) along with Dalry independent councillor Robert Barr have stopped progress on the new Garnock scheme asking for further information on the site selection process. These members consider the Longbar sites better placed for a community facility. At a meeting of the councils Scrutiny Community local councillor John Bell defended the change of preferred site to Stoneyholm Road based on the outcome of the community consultation. Local SNP Councillor Anthea Dickson was unable to take part in the meeting as she has a significant property interest near the Lochshore site. committee report 16/6/11

New Garnock Academy site to be Stoneyholm Road. Following their consultation process North Ayrshire Council have now identified the site at North Lochshore as their preferred site for the project. at the consultation meetings concerns were raised about the accessibility of the previously preferred sites at Longbar. 19-5-11

Town Centre Regeneration Update Following the consultation meetings in the Walker Hall with the input of local councillors plans are underway to improve the Town Centre area, with money allocated through councils budget. Plans include:-

Newton St. Car park The existing car park will be resurfaced, negotiations to purchase the land on the gap site adjacent to the car park are underway and once this is completed the work to extend the car park over the former Tamsons Pub will be carried out.

Bridge St. Plans for the footpath and parking area improvements (adjacent to the Bowery Pub) .

Puffin Crossing Main St. Adding traffic control to the existing zebra crossing

Jesalina/ VeeBee Sugar Arts The paved area in front of the above is currently being designed (similar to the area at Bridge St.) There will be a longer delay to starting this work as it is designated a traffic sensitive area and requires a minimum 6 week Traffic Order before work can be started.

Police Station Site Demolition will start week beginning 6^th March. We are working with partners (Police, Legal, Roads and Planning) to find a temporary use for the location. The most realistic usage is a temporary car park.

Building Wrap 2 Main St. A temporary fabric wrap will be placed over the building

Street Lighting Street Lighting Section are currently costing a programme to replace the existing lamp standards with wall mounted street lighting.

Shopfront Grant Scheme 9 shops are currently proceeding with the scheme. . Munro Architect will project manage the work and most are expected to be completed by the end of March.

Flood Prevention meeting;The Council's Garnock Valley and West Kilbride Area Committee requested a public meeting be arranged in relation to flood mitigation measures in the River Garnock catchment. This has been organised for 7.15 p.m. on Tuesday 1st March 2011 in the Walker Hall, Kilbirnie.
A number of representatives from the Council Infrastructure and Design service, flooding consultants, SEPA and the Scottish Flood Forum will be present and short presentations will be given prior to a question and answer session. There will also be an opportunity for the public to view current flood extent maps for the area and flood protection products. 14/2/11

Garnock, Moorpark and Glengarnock consultation begins. Consultation documents have been issued this week to parents and carers of children who attend the three schools who would be affected by the proposal. online consultation document11/1/11

Our Successful campaign back in 2002 made sure we got broadband then lets do it again.

Recycling centre reopens. Thursday 23rd December 2010. The site will operate normal working hours (9am - 4.45pm) with the exception of; 25th and 26th December 2010- and 1st and 2nd January 2011 when it will be closed. 22/12/10

Kilbirnie facilities under threat as budgets cut. With the council facing the possibility of having to close all local halls and facilities over the next three years, unless the budget position improves, they have brought forward proposals on how to manage the process. NAFCA a federation of local community associations has listed a number of facilities it is interested in maintaining and running by forming a Community Trust which includes Bridgend Community Centre but they are not interested in either the Walker Hall or Longbar Community Centres. 15/12/10

Kilbirnie Town Centre Regeneration, Two consultation events will take place at the end of November to discuss ideas for improving the town centre. To allow everyone to have their say one event will be for representatives local groups and businesses and the second for the general public. Local councillor John bell said "This is an opportunity for local people to help influence spending the money made available to improve the Kilbirnie town centre, some good suggestions have already been made, which along with grant aid to local shops through shopfront improvement scheme, should make further significant improvements to the town centre." The events are being held at Walker Hall, Kilbirnie on Wednesday, November 24 from 11.00am to 7.00pm They will be hosted by Vector Research who are conducting the resident and business research within the town. 7/11/2010

Garnock Academy, The council have narrowed the site selection down to four possible sites. One site is across School Road from the current school Campus, the second is at the North of the Lochshore site across the cycle track from the Amenity site, the third is near the Garnock Rugby pitches at the south of the Lochshore site, and the final site is between Longbar and the Railway line. 7/11/2010

Kilbirnie Police Station Officially opened at its new site. Strathclyde Chief Constable Stephen House and Police Board Chair Councillor Stephen Curran officially opened the station at the new site at the former Garnock Valley Registrars office. Other guests included local Councillors John Bell, Anthea Dickson and Jean Highgate as well as former Councillor James Jennings who had performed the official opening of the previous station in 1974. 4/11/2010.

As part of the Kilbirnie Town Centre regeneration scheme Munro Architects, Kilmarnock, have been appointed as architects for the Shop Front Grant Scheme which will launch shortly in Kilbirnie. A drop-in session has been arranged on Wednesday 15th September 2010 at the Walker Hall in Kilbirnie from 12pm to 3pm Project Officers and the architect will be there to answer any questions that the business owners may have. 6/9/10

Digital Switchover Drop-in Clinic Walker Hall 13/9/10 10 till 12. Digital Switchover Drop-in Clinics provide information about the process of the digital TV switchover and its implications for households. It will highlight the support available from the Digital Switchover Help Scheme and consumer protection issues which all viewers should be aware of. 4/9/10

Kilbirnie Flower Show Bridgend Community centre Saturday 4/9/10 More details if we get them.

Kilbirnie Regeneration Work. North Ayrshire Council's Executive committee agreed to focus regeneration funding on Kilbirnie at their meeting on 10th August. They will commission detailed research into town centre performance, function and future opportunities, similar to that carried out in Dalry. Detailed consultations will take place with Kilbirnie shoppers, residents, traders and stakeholders to identify their priorities and to guide the activity in subsequent years. Consultations will also be held with other NAC departments in terms of providing a contextual background. The Shop Front Grant Scheme will be launched in Kilbirnie in a designated locality Main Street/Bridge Street. Following the outcome of the research, capital projects will be identified and progressed. The 2010-12 programme will move on to address all appropriate elements of the Town Centre Regeneration Framework including: training, marketing, physical environmental improvements, business group set-up and other projects as deemed appropriate following consultation.22/8/10

Allotment Awards It has been a great week for the green-fingered volunteers of Garnock Valley Allotment Association. Not only have members of GVAA been granted planning permission to create more than 70 community vegetable plots, they have also received an award for their hard work. Members of the group, who have spent months raising money and trying to secure a site for the allotments, were delighted when North Ayrshire Council's Planning Committee last week granted permission for 73 individual allotment plots in Kilbirnie.

Now the volunteers, who have been working in the background to develop the skills they need to run the association successfully, have picked up a Scottish Learning Partnership Award for Health at Adult Learners' Week. The group collected their framed certificate and a gift of gardening equipment at the awards ceremony held at The Crichton in Dumfries on Thursday, May 20. The award was for the work the group makes towards improving opportunities for mental health, physical activity and well being of members. 30/5/10

Kilbirnie & Glengarnock Civic Week. 20th - 26th June More details as we get them. 15/5/10

Google Maps -We know where you live. The latest upgrades to Google's street maps now include images of most of Kilbirnie, though they still haven't fixed all the problems they had with street names from other areas being used by mistake.11/3/10

Garnock Academy Council committee to look at the options of including a leisure centre in the replacement school. Other options might include a new primary school on the same site. 5/3/10

Jennings gardens - first residents move into affordable housing created by partnership between, Cunninghame Housing Association, the Scottish Executive and North Ayrshire council. 15/2/10

Walker Hall Safe for now. NAC agreed their budgets for 2010-11 on Thursday 11th Feb. One of the proposed savings would have included the closure of some of the area's halls and libraries, this option was not taken at this time but will be the subject of ongoing scrutiny as the cuts imposed on the council continue to bite.13/2/2010

Labour Clubs change name. At a meeting of all club members of the Labour Party it was agreed to separate the formal link between club and party membership. The clubs have been operating under difficult trading conditions for the last 3 years and it is hoped that the reduced membership fee will encourage more people to use the clubs. The clubs have been successful fund raisers for countless community and charitable organisations over the last 40 years and, with the aim of preserving these assets for the community, the Labour Party membership agreed to the change to the Garnock Community Club. 31/01/10

CCTV Cameras for Main Street in Kilbirnie. Chairwoman of North Ayrshire CCTV Limited, Councillor Margaret McDougall said: “CCTV cameras are perceived as playing an important role in preventing crime and providing reassurance to the public that our town centres are safe places to frequent.” The cost of the cameras, which will be monitored round-the-clock, is Ł250,000 and they should be in place the end of March. Strathclyde Police Superintendent Jim Coubrough, Sub-Divisional Officer for North Ayrshire, said: “In towns like Kilwinning and Saltcoats, CCTV has been shown to be an effective resource in both tracking and deterring criminals in North Ayrshire. “I expect the law-abiding majority will welcome this development.” One of the cameras will be placed near Benny's Chip shop and the other on the cross opposite Radio City.

Newspaper claims Kilbirnie has Britain lowest life expectancy. An article in the Mail on Sunday made the claims this week. Pensions-A-postcode-lottery.html . Commenting local councillor John Bell said "Kilbirnie's Industrial past has left many long term health issues in the area, and was one of the reasons for setting up the Healthy Living Centre at Radio City which has made significant improvements in Health Promotion in the area. I have been advised that based on the 2008 health profiles Kilbirnie is not now in the lowest in North Ayrshire with an average life expectancy of 73. While we need to maintain this commitment to health improvement the figures quoted in the newspaper don't seem accurate." A copy of the 2008 NHS North Ayrshire profile can be found here. NHSNorthayrshirelife 1/12/2009

Flood Defences- Council demand Government funding. NAC Council Leader David O’Neill said “The previous Scottish Executive scheme funded 80% of capital flood defence works and the SNP Scottish Government is not making clear how they are going to fund major projects. We need to implement a Garnock flood prevention scheme, currently estimated to cost around Ł20million, and need a funding commitment from the SNP Government. to ensure we get the best possible flood prevention scheme in place for the Garnock Valley without further delay. Following last years flooding in Kilbirnie and Glengarnock the council made repairs to the existing flood defences but we need a long term solution, which will take account of the increased rainfall and consequent flooding risks.”

Takeaway at Dunnings? Local residents are concerned about a planning application to change part of Dunnings shop into a hot food takeaway and there have been a large number of objections. Local councillors have requested that the issue be called in to the councils planning committee should planning officers look favourably on the plan. NAC Planning 3/11/09

Tesco have lodged a planning application to extend the garage opening hours to 24 hours and to allow them to have deliveries to the shop between 5am and midnight. The original application limited the operating and service times of the site to between 7.00 and 23.00 in order minimise noise nuisance to local residents. 30/10/09

2009 Christmas Festival Program announced. The Christmas Festival is on the Saturday 28^th of November. Santa will be in the Library from10am and Santa’s Parade leaves from the Library at 5pm. There are craft & various organisations with stalls in the Walker Hall, Radio City and The Community Centre and they will all be open to the public from 2pm.The Starlight Road Show will be in the street at the usual spot outside the opticians. We have the junior choir and band from the Academy and we also have the Moorpark Primary School choir singing. We are still finalising with the other schools what they will be doing. Main Street car park will have a small fair and stalls for the younger children to take part in. Pre Booking for Santa is again possible and people can collect a form from the Library.22/10/09

New Garnock Academy.

North Ayrshire Council received confirmation today that their bid to the Scottish Governments school rebuilding program has been successful, and will provide 2/3 of the total replacement cost of the school. Chair of NAC's Education Committee and former Garnock pupil Councillor John Bell said "I am pleased to finally have Scottish Government support to continue NAC's school rebuilding program, and especially to ensure Garnock pupils will have access to the standard of facilities already enjoyed in North Ayrshire's newer schools." 28/09/2009

Coal Plant Protest Meeting I am sending this email to you as you and your readers may be unaware of the potential and “likely” threat of a new coal fired plant at Hunterston. The proposal for this monster is being pushed through the back door by SNP, and Alex Salmond. The public were never consulted on this and the National planning framework was never undertaken, the planning was “added on” mysteriously!!! It appeared 8 months AFTER the framework had closed! The threat to the public in Kilbirnie and Dalry is from the smoke and ash from the spent coal, as the chimney will be built higher than Fairlie Moor, and the prevailing winds are dominant in your direction. There is an open day in West Kilbride on Friday 2^nd Oct at the Village Hall, and also at the Brisbane Centre in Largs on Sat 3^rd. Fairlie village hall on Monday 5^th, and Millport Town Hall all 11.00am till 7pm. Marie Hosie 28/09/2009

Local councillors question Scottish Enterprise on Lochshore delays. At the recent meeting of the Ganock Valley area committee a representative of Scottish Enterprise outlined the cause of delays in progressing the Lochshore Masterplan. He explained restructuring of the organisation meant some confusion on who would take the project forward as it was not seen as of national significance, but that SE decided to keep responsibility as they were they major land owner. The downturn in the economy had also meant a reduction in private sector interest but that they felt the market was likely to improve in the next few years. Accordingly SE plan to appoint a design team to take things through the formal planning system. The committee also heard reports on the local provision of sport and cultural activities in the area. 21/08/09

George Steven Centre in Craigton Road, Kilbirnie will begin refurbishment work next week on their ‘Centre for Adults with Learning Disabilities’. Work will begin at the site on Monday 17^th August, to add an extension to the kitchen area and create two new activity rooms for service users. The contractor is Fleming Buildings Ltd who originally built the centre in 2003; the building works are anticipated to be complete by early November. Mrs Teri McKeand, George Steven Centre Manager said, “This is an exciting time for the centre; it will be business as usual for us during the refurbishment. The centre programme will run as normal, this will include our community café, although parking will be greatly restricted. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our neighbours and the local community for their continued support and encouragement as we may have to experience a little upheaval during the refurbishment project.” 12/8/09

Garnock Valley misses out in Scottish Government Regeneration Funding. The only successful projects from North Ayrshire were in Ardossan, Saltcoats and Millport. It is hoped that the proposal to clear the site of the flood damaged Police station in Kilbirnie, to be used as additional car parking, will be successful in the last round. 7/8/2009

Roadworks The following much needed works are planned for Kilbirnie B777 Kirkland Road : commencing 6th July for approximately 8 working days (weekdays only). Working Hours will be 9.15am until 6.00pm.
A760 Bridgend Roundabout and Stoneyholm Road : commencing 19th July 2009 for 4 evenings; and then from 26th July for another 4 evenings. The majority of the work will be carried out from 6.30 pm until 11.00 pm. The work on the roundabout will be carried out under 3-way traffic lights with access to Mill Road closed while the works are in progress. 30/6/09

New Garnock Academy? North Ayrshire Council leader David O’Neil is to write to Education Minister Fiona Hyslop in a bid to secure a share of the Ł800 million of government money earmarked for new school build programmes. Local Kilbirnie & Beith Councillor John Bell who chairs the councils Education Executive said "Now that we finally see an opportunity to continue our investment in schools we need to lobby the Scottish government to try and get our share of the funding. Recent government spending has been skewed to the SNP heartlands in the North East and we have lost out on roads and housing money". He added "Garnock Academy is one of the schools likely to be replaced if the council can secure the funding this time." 25/06/09

Police Concerns. Police Superintendant Stephen McGrath and Inspector Bob Campbell were quizzed by councillors at a meeting of the Garnock Valley area Committee. The superintendant explained the current system and listened to complaints regarding response times. A report was presented detailing calls and staffing. The members agreed to take up the issue with the councils Police Board members. 18/6/09

Regeneration scheme snag. Following negotiations with Strathclyde Police Board the council were unable to bid for the Police station in the first round of regeneration funding but expect to get agreement to put it forward for the August round. A scheme to install 2 CCTV camera in the Town centre did go forward to the Scottish government for funding. 5/6/2009

Town centre Regeneration. North Ayrshire Council ruling executive committee are to decide which projects go forward as bids to the Scottish Governments Town Centre Regeneration Fund. Possible projects for Kilbirnie include clearing the former Police station and redeveloping as car parking, clearing the site of the former Tamsons pub as a car park extension, the compulsory purchase of the fire damaged insurance office at 2 Main street, and the redevelopment of the Knox Institute building as community space. 28/5/2009

No Flood Prevention money for Kilbirnie. The Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill has been passed in Scottish Parliament. unfortunately there is still no money identified to fund further flood prevention works. A scheme for Kilbirnie Beith and Dalry is identified by the Scottish government as being at the feasibility stage in the Scottish Flood Defence Asset Database Final Report shortly after the SNP took office. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/08/20111904/16. There are concerns that the budget has been cut in an effort to fund an additional Forth Bridge. 19/05/09