North Ayrshire Provost Anthea Dickson carried out the official duties to mark the construction of 50 new homes on part of the former Garnock Academy site in Kilbirnie.

The £12 million development – supported by £5m Scottish Government Grant - will provide a mix of general needs houses, amenity bungalows, and homes suitable for wheelchair users.

Councillor Alan Hill, cabinet member for Communities and Islands, said: “We’re delighted to see work underway at a site which will hold memories for so many people.

“This development of modern, energy-efficient homes will breathe new life into the site and we can’t wait to see them completed.

“At the heart of this development is our desire to improve the wellbeing of our tenants and address climate change through the delivery of energy efficient homes which are accessible and have been designed to easily adapt to tenants’ changing needs.”

Euan Clark, commercial director at contractors Ashleigh (Scotland) Limited, said: “We were delighted to commence works on the affordable housing project at School Road, Kilbirnie. This fantastic development, comprising new build units, allows us to provide a number of employment opportunities through our own apprenticeship programme and also with our supply chain partners, whilst delivering on our collective objectives of a range of community benefit and wider role initiatives.

“North Ayrshire Council are very much at the forefront in tackling Scotland’s national housing emergency, which has had a direct impact on the construction industry. They continue to deliver projects such as this, meeting the transition to net zero head on, whilst securing economic growth and providing skilled jobs and apprenticeships in local communities.”

As part of Ashleigh’s work to deliver the project, they involved pupils from nearby Moorpark Primary School, delivering a presentation on the development as well as ‘health and safety on site’ talks. A competition was held with the pupils designing a health and safety poster and the winners were named as Myla McBlain (6) and Holly Pitkeathly (8).

The youngsters were invited along to the ceremony to receive their prizes from Provost Dickson.

The former Garnock Academy first opened its doors back in 1972 with the amalgamation of Beith Academy, Dalry High School, Kilbirnie Central School and Speir’s school. It closed 44 years later in December 2016 with pupils moving to the newly-built Garnock Community Campus.

Work on the new homes at the site is currently expected to be completed in early 2026.