Integrated Urban Development Plan (pdf) - Make It Kilmarnock

20 or so years. Turning it round is similarly going to be
a longer term process. But the town has the ability, the
desire and the commitment to influence its own economic
future
• We need to develop a progressive, multi-pronged
approach to improving the town’s competitiveness -
there are no ‘silver bullets’ in terms of turning round the
town’s economy. Competition for inward investment
is tough and the experience of other places in Scotland
show there are risks in short term fixes. We propose a
range of approaches, shifting the balance of effort and
priority weightings over time.
• The starting point is to build on existing economic
assets and businesses, as they are already here.
Diageo may be going but there are lots of businesses
who remain and who are passionate about the town. A
key focus should be on helping existing businesses to
grow and develop and on encouraging small businesses
to start or relocate here. In particular the town should
look to build on existing strengths in terms of business
services and leisure, and maximise the contribution that
the College can make to supporting students to open
businesses.
• There is a need to optimise the benefits of any
investment that is taking place. For instance, the next
few years are likely to see significant investment in the
town in the form of the development of the new College
campus and the wider redevelopment of the former
Diageo site. The Council is also looking to consolidate its
presence and build upon its property assets in the town
centre. It will be important to use these investment as
‘levers’ that support and integrate new development
opportunities for the town, including retail, local
services, and other physical improvements.
• It will be crucial to look beyond the town, towards
the wider city region. Kilmarnock is not a closed
system, and its connectivity to Glasgow is good,
having improved drastically over the past few years.
Capitalising on the town’s proximity to Glasgow should
be a key feature of any strategy to improve economic
resilience. This could include encouraging families
and people who work in Glasgow to come and live in
Kilmarnock as well as giving Kilmarnock residents the
skills to access jobs in the city as it continues to grow.
• Aspirations are important drivers, but they have to
be rooted in realism. The workshops highlighted many
potential opportunities in growth industries including
tourism, renewable energy, and financial services.
These are important and achievable aspirations – in
due course. The strategy needs to recognise in a wider
Scottish context, within which Kilmarnock is not
the only place thinking about these opportunities.
Furthermore the town does not have a recent track
record of success in attracting high growth industries.
It will take time to build up knowledge of these sectors
and put in place the conditions that might attract more
businesses in these sectors to the town. There may be
merit in focusing on one or two of these sectors at the
outset, rather than several.
• The importance of place making and attractiveness.
Successful places over the longer term are those which
are appealing – to residents, investors, visitors. Kilmarnock
has many excellent characteristics, but much has
been identified that could improve the place offer. From
an economic development point of view, the place making
interventions suggested elsewhere in the Urban De-
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