Councillors have backed a push to improve kids' play areas across South Ayrshire.

Troon SNP councillor Craig Mackay tabled a motion at the final full council before the summer recess last week.

The council agreed to identify the play areas which are in the most need of investment and bring councillors a report on the assessment in October.

Cllr Mackay asked that the local authority ensured that there were ‘shovel ready’ play projects that could make quick use of any funding that becomes available.

Councillors agreed that council officials should review the way developer contributions, in the main those related to housing, are used to provide play areas.

Cllr Mackay opened by highlighting the transformation of a play area next to Struthers Primary School in Troon.

He said: “An amazing 22 pieces of equipment were installed. Before, there had only been a handful dilapidated items, a couple of which were made non-functional for safety reasons but bizarrely left in place.”

He said that since the refurbishment, the park had become a central point for kids to gather and enjoy fun exercise.

Cllr Mackay added: “That is a fantastic success story, but, unfortunately, it is an exception to the norm.

“There is rarely anywhere near that level of funding available for such a top-class facility.

“This example funded from surplus of developer contributions after an all weather pitch was reduced to a smaller multi use games area (MUGA).

“While there is a lot of investment in main play areas in each of our towns, loads of small play parks in residential areas are crying out for new equipment.

“The problem is, as always, limited budgets. But even small pockets of funding allow play areas to be quickly upgraded with a couple of items.

“For this to work best, I want to see a transparent process in place to ensure play areas most in need of investment would have shovel ready proposals in place should any funding become available.”

He said that he was not looking for additional funds, but wanted to ‘latch onto two pieces of work that are already in the melting pot’.

One of these involves the inclusion in the new Local Development Plan rules that a ‘play sufficiency assessment’ is carried out across the authority.

Councillor Mackay criticised the benefits coming from developer contributions, which amount to around £150 per play item – a figure that hasn’t been increased since 2008.

SNP group leader William Grant seconded the motion and added that it was important that the play equipment was all-ability.

Councillor Bob Pollock (Conservative, Troon) backed the motion and asked whether funding promised by the Scottish Government had been made available.

Cllr Mackay said he understood that around £200,000 had been made available, with further funds in place over five years.

Cllr Pollock added: “I am aware within my own ward we do have a number of play parks installed by developers, and they remain their responsibility.

"Unfortunately, we get queries about the state they are in, but they are not adopted by the council.

“What provision can be put in place when asking developers to install a play park, either to be adopted by council or a provision within that to ensure they continue to maintain them?

“They look great when they put them in, then a couple of years down the line they deteriorate quite badly. ”

The motion was agreed by the council and a report on the funding, resources and timelines for addressing the improvement work will be brought to the council in October.