Integrated Urban Development Plan (pdf) - Make It Kilmarnock

education as well as other forms of learning for all ages,
and offering more proactive support for existing and
small-scale private and social enterprise
6. Confident and proud – with a positive attitude to
support local providers, services and attractions
In terms of physical and spatial change, the kind of place
that this vision and principles seek to generate is a compact
town with a condensed core. New development should be
concentrated primarily within the existing built-up area in
the next 5 to 10 years.
The vision and principles will not be achieved exclusively
through this Integrated Urban Development Plan. This needs
to be carefully linked with other initiatives that Make it
Kilmarnock are undertaking in parallel with this plan, such
as a branding and marketing strategy, which are also of
fundamental importance in delivering the vision.
strategic approach
The strategy for Kilmarnock’s IUDP comprises a series of
elements that seek to help re-balance and turn the town
around. These comprise
• an economic strategy component, that seeks to help
re-position Kilmarnock in the medium term,
• a spatial strategy dimension, about how the shape
emphasis should change to meet future needs, and to
shape future investment
• a movement and place strategy thread, around an
alternative to the ring road/gyratory constraint on
the towns identity and functioning
Key elements informing the strategic approach are:
2 The place need to be physically (and visually)
transformed if it is to reposition itself – whether for
business, and for residents, or for visitors.
3 The improvements should be tailored to the unique
nature of Kilmarnock, rather than inappropriate or
place-less ‘clone town’ solutions or direct replicas of
out-of-town centres.
4 Addressing movement, from arrival and orientation,
to quality and legibility of routes, is important for a
range of users, including visitors, shoppers, the old
and the young.
5 There should be a mix of implementation measures,
combining smaller easier steps with larger more
transformational projects to be implemented in
phases over time
6 Crucially there needs to be a clear focus on addressing
the needs in and around the town centre, including a
consolidation and ‘ densification’ around the core, to
build investment, scale, intensity and use. This means
reducing all the external edge of town investment in
retail and residential investment that is not already
committed.
7 A local-first approach should be used to build strength
from within, drawing support for and from, local
employment base, local shops and services, and public
agencies. This needs to be complemented by a more
outward looking inward investment and strategic
customer approach.
1 There should be a progressive series of inter-related
actions, building on recent investment, for instance
in the Bank Street area, and as proposed at the Diageo
site.
8 A wider city-region perspective is also needed to
optimise opportunities from Kilmarnock’s growing
relationship with Glasgow and the surrounding area,
in terms of transport, services, residential catchment
9 each physical intervention should support community
20 | MAKE IT KILMARNOCK BOARD | EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL