News on Hurlford Proposals

Since the Hurlford Street Design Project launched in September 2019, we have received hundreds of comments and suggestions from residents, young people, businesses and community groups through the project website and multiple activities held locally.

Using the information collected, initial designs went on display between March and April 2020 for the community to feedback on. Using the feedback received during this period, we refined the initial designs into a Concept Design that represents the communities aspirations for the street environment in the village centre.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we were not be able to showcase the concept design to the wider community during the Display Stage of the process but have presented the designs on the project website: https://hurlfordproposals.commonplace.is/schemes/proposals/concept-design-september-2020/details .

The concept design developed since September 2019 was handed over to East Ayrshire Council in September 2020 for further development and engagement with the community through funding from Sustrans Places for Everyone Programme which provides 100% design funding.

Ayrshire Roads Alliance and East Ayrshire Council will be seeking to appoint a consultant to continue the design work and community engagement soon. Sign up to this news page to receive updates as the project progresses.

Earlier this year, East Ayrshire Council allocated Town Centre Regeneration funding from the Scottish Government to deliver some exciting changes to Hurlford following ideas generated by the community through the Hurlford Street Design Project.

In March, some of this funding was used to re-surface the area of land behind the bus stop where Academy Street meets Mauchline Road.

We are now looking to trial a Pop-up Parklet at this location consisting of colourful benches, planters and cycle parking to create much needed public space in the village centre for the community to enjoy outdoors. If successful, the parklet could remain in place until the Hurlford Street Design Project is delivered or it could be adapted or removed depending on feedback from the community.

In addition, we will also be repairing the plaque for the propeller and delivering a community noticeboard, dog waste bag dispensers and historical images of Hurlford in some of the bus shelters.

We are aiming to install the Pop-up Parklet and other items in late Autumn 2020 however this is subject to government guidelines and any local restrictions that might be in place. We will update you as soon as we have a date!

We would like to thank you all for your work and support during the concept design stage. It’s been a pleasure to work closely with the community over the past year and, although we had the disappointment of cancelling many of the planned activities during Spring/Summer, we are excited to see the project develop by East Ayrshire Council.

Finally, we would like to wish everyone well during these uncertain times.