PLANNERS have recommended that the council goes ahead with the controversial plans for council offices at Ayr’s riverside. 

Councillors will make their minds up on the plan on Wednesday morning.
Members of the Regulatory Panel will discuss an application to build council offices, create public urban realm and associated infrastructure on 8-48 High Street.

An application report has been published on the council’s website and makes reference to public objections and recommends the panel take into account conditions and advice offered from Architecture and Design Scotland. 

In November 2016 Ayr Renaissance applied for planning permission for a mixed use development at Ayr Riverside. Some 34 conditions have been highlighted in a report by Architecture and Design Scotland before the Riverside can be brought back to life.

Condition nine, archaeology, states the developer shall ensure that the approved strategy is fully implemented and that all recording and recovery of archaeological resources within the development site is undertaken to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority in agreement with the West of Scotland Archaeology Service. 

West of Scotland Archaeology Service have been consulted on the application and have advised they are content for further work to take place on the site as long as they are accompanied by archaeological mitigation.

But there are four conditions which are not relevant to the planning application which propose the site as student accommodation. 

The application does not concern the development of student accommodation, noise as a result of the new living area or a residential travel pack to provide students with transport links to key destinations within Ayr.

There’s still time to sign the Ayr Advertiser’s campaign for a history centre, with a glass floor for locals and tourists to walk above the remains of ‘Auld Ayr’ to bring Ayr back to life and encourage tourists to visit.

To back the campaign visit www.change.org/p/ayr-advertiser-back-our-petition-for-a-historical-attraction-at-ayr-riverside.
The public meeting to decide what should happen next will take place on

Wednesday, May 9 at 10am in the County Hall at Ayr’s County Buildings on Wellington Square.