The Scottish Government is to invest £5.3 million to turn a former Kilmarnock bottling plant into a low carbon development which will include hundreds of affordable homes.

Around £3.5m will be invested in the former Johnnie Walker bottling plant, which will be transformed to include an enterprise and innovation hub for business startups, a renewable energy centre and commercial and leisure units.

The investment includes £1.8m from the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme for a new geothermal heating system that will provide low cost, renewable energy for the new homes.

It follows a £3.5m contribution announced by the UK government earlier this month.

Economy secretary Keith Brown announced the investment while visiting the site in Kilmarnock today.

He said: “I have already made a commitment to support an Ayrshire Growth Deal and this ambitious new development is part and parcel of that commitment.

“As a responsible, progressive nation, Scotland must also continue to demonstrate strong leadership on climate change. That is why I’m pleased that the Scottish Government will also be able to support our first new geothermal heating system in almost two decades, allowing local residents to access low carbon energy at an affordable price.

“We want to support local economies as well as the next generation of innovative manufacturing and digital companies, which is why the HALO project is such an exciting development. I’m sure that the Ayrshire and Scottish economies will reap the benefits from this project for years to come.”