Lochshore Masterplan, North Ayrshire

Challenge

SLR was commissioned by North Ayrshire Council and Scottish Enterprise to prepare a regeneration masterplan for the 250ha former Glengarnoch Steel Works site.

The clients needed a viable placemaking and investment project on this derelict industrial site that had blighted the local community for decades.

Solution

The plan was to create a new parkland space as a visitor destination, developed around the concept of play innovation using natural habitats, new woodland planting and the integration of a 2km floating boardwalk trail on the loch.

The project had to address technical challenges including the restoration of water quality within Kilbirnie Loch, the restoration of the former industrial landscape to a new biodiversity rich parkland, and the extension of active travel routes including integration with the Sustrans cycle network linking the towns of Beith and Kilbirnie with central Glasgow.

The project involved extensive community consultation and engagement with national and regional stakeholders and funding partners. The project was conceived as a major regeneration project using the restoration of a green space asset to address placemaking, community regeneration and cohesion and green infrastructure provision.

Impact

The project had a leading recommendation for the creation of a Community Trust structure as the leading governance model for the delivery phase. The masterplan also came with a comprehensive funding and implementation strategy with the local community in the leadership role.