Integrated Urban Development Plan (pdf) - Make It Kilmarnock

much good work in this area and is an appropriate focus
for greater resources and time to develop and deliver an
extended programme.
2.8 Extend Shop Local campaign for Kilmarnock and
environs in partnership with local businesses
Encouraging more people from the town and surrounding
villages to shop in Kilmarnock, not least through raising
awareness of what the town has to offer, is important. The
ongoing work of the Kilmarnock Retail Trades Association
and the town centre manager should be supported to take
this forward.
2.9 Promote temporary uses of vacant retail units
The Council should work with landlords, community groups,
artists and local enterprises to secure temporary uses of
vacant units. There are now well-established models for
resolving any legal and financial issues with landlords around
temporary uses, and good examples of what can be achieved
can be seen through the government’s Meanwhile Spaces
initiative in England and Wales. Possible uses could include
space for new businesses, the arts, culture and community
– covering private, social and community enterprise. The
critical need is for the public sector to act as an enabler and
facilitator to promote and encourage these temporary uses,
which are entrepreneurial in the widest sense of the word.
economic strategy, more needs to be done to understand
exactly who the local business base are, what their growth
ambitions are and the barriers that they face in meeting
them. This initial piece of analysis and engagement should
form the basis for developing, in partnership with local
companies, a targeted programme of business support ,
engagement and networking that works for local employers.
Projects like My Future’s in Falkirk offer good practice lessons
in terms of progressing more effective business engagement.
Category 3 Projects: joining it together
Category 3 contains the following proposals:
3.1 Channel investment demand into the town centre
wherever possible
3.2-3.3 Promote the area south of the town centre as a place
for business and enterprise, with an appropriate
design code
3.4 Continue to build Town Centre Trust Fund
3.5 Collaborative annual Kilmarnock futures forum to
monitor progress and explore future strategy
3.6 Develop learning and education
3.7 Young people’s discount card
3.8 Town centre creche
3.9 Local rates relief in parts of the town centre
3.10 Overall branding/visioning strategy for a range of
markets
2.10 Working with existing employers to support +
retain them
The strategy process highlighted the importance of retaining
the current employment base in the town and where possible
helping them to grow. Alongside the development of the
3.1 Resist out-of-town retail, residential + intermediate
- sized commercial space that could be in the town
centre
Planning policy should be reviewed with the intention of
44 | MAKE IT KILMARNOCK BOARD | EAST AYRSHIRE COUNCIL