North Ayrshire Council earns millions from estate asset sales since 2000

Since 2000, NAC has earned just over £64 million from the transfers - with a major chunk of that pot consisting of the sale of the harbourside development site in Irvine, worth £49 million.

Among the more than 200 disposals listed in the last 20 years or so, the top earners include ground for a car park at Moorburn House in Largs (£1.66 million), Whitehirst Park open space in Kilwinning (£1.375 million), and phase two of the Vineburgh redevelopment area in Irvine (£1.25 million).

In the Three Towns, the sale of 50-52 Canal Street in Saltcoats netted the council £500,000, while 4-8 Harbour Street in Ardrossan earned £225,000, and the site of the former Caley House in Stevenston made £22,500. Saltcoats Orange Hall was also sold by the council for £13,000, according to the statistics.

The site of Beith Primary School was sold for just over £197,000 and the site of the former Glengarnock Primary School, plus additional land to the rear, was disposed of for £60,000.

Elsewhere, Montgomerie House in Kilwinning earned NAC £215,000; the former Kilbirnie registration office netted £185,000; Shiskine schoolhouse on Arran made just over £142,000; a grounds maintenance and cleansing depot in West Kilbride made £55,100; and the former Harbour Chippy in Irvine made £36,500.

The figures were published following a freedom of information (FOI) request submitted last month.

A council response to the FOI request noted: "The attached disposal extract is not the full picture as it only provided details of assets disposed of via Estates.

"Therefore, this list does not take consideration of all disposals and does not provide details of who the asset was disposed to.

"North Ayrshire Council can confirm the information is not held in this format."

Among the lowest earners over this period were the former Ardrossan library headquarters and Ardeer Rifle and Pistol Club, both listed as having been sold for just £1.