STEVENSTON residents have had their say on what the future should look like for the town.

Ideas from members of Stevenston Community Council include restructuring the town centre core to create more retail infrastructure and civic space.

Suggestions also include a community green space behind New Street and Boglemart Street, including the former gas works site; a meeting place, museum and/or community facilities; social housing; and protection of the former Kerelaw School grounds, Ardeer Peninsula and the surrounding farmland.

Stevenston has now become the second area in North Ayrshire to produce a local place plan, following West Kilbride last year.

Local place plans provide communities with an opportunity to feed into the planning system with their own ideas and proposals for the development and use of land.

A series of surveys and consultations was recently carried out in Stevenston with more than 200 responses collected.

The community-led plans will set out the aspirations of residents for the place they live in and suggest solutions, including big challenges like the global climate emergency and tackling inequalities.

Local place plans can also help communities to develop and deliver their own projects and bring about community-based change.

Once registered by the council, the plan will be considered in the preparation of the Local Development Plan - the strategy that defines and shapes where future development of land and property will take place.

Councillor Alan Hill, cabinet member for islands and communities, said: “We are currently working on our third Local Development Plan and it’s important that we get as much support and input from our communities as possible.

“The local place plans are a new concept but will be invaluable and feed into our Local Development Plans.

"It is great that we now have our second local place plan and it will be highly invaluable when we produce our Local Development Plan.”