COUNCIL chiefs have scrapped plans for a £6million disability day centre in Stevenston after bidding to buy Red Cross House in Irvine.

The Herald can reveal that North Ayrshire Council’s plans to build a state-of-the art centre for people with disabilities on the land between Auchenharvie Academy and the Auchenharvie Leisure Centre have been binned - with Red Cross House drafted in as a replacement centre.

And the decision has been blasted by local councillor Jim Montgomerie.

Despite Stevenston losing out on a new facility, council bosses say if their bid to buy the former Options for Independence centre in Irvine’s Tarryholme Drive is successful, they will have saved money and purchased a ready-made purpose-built centre which will deliver “cutting-edge” services.

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “We can confirm we have submitted a bid for Red Cross House. This is a joint bid on behalf of the council and the NHS.

“If we are successful in our bid, this would represent a fantastic opportunity for us to develop and deliver cutting-edge services from a perfect location.

“When plans were initially drawn up for a new learning disability day centre, the purchase of Red Cross House was not an option.

“However, when Red Cross House became available, we moved quickly to secure it as it offered many more benefits than the proposed facility at Stevenston.”

The council say purchasing Red Cross House is an all-round better decision and will allow them to incorporate the plans made for the Stevenston centre, as well as include extra facilities which would otherwise not have been available.

A spokesman added: “As well as being more cost effective, Red Cross House would be larger than the proposed centre at Stevenston and able to provide facilities, such as a hydrotherapy pool, which would not otherwise be available. The early work which has been done on the disability day centre would be transferred and incorporated into the development of Red Cross House, if the purchase goes ahead”

One local mother, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I was saddened to learn that this facility would not be being built at Auchenharvie as was previously thought.

“I have a son with special needs who is leaving school next year and I feel he would have greatly benefited from a facility such as this being in our area.

“Why should he have to travel to Irvine when a suitable purpose built venue would have been on our doorstep?”

Councillor for Saltcoats and Stevenston, Jim Montgomerie voiced his outrage.

He said: “Here we go again! Stevenston is to lose £6.1million of investment. Local constituents again are up in arms with this SNP-run council. As usual it’s the local punters who are going to be affected.

“We were looking forward to some great investment into the area and here we are again they are talking the talk but not walking the walk.

“Extraordinary stuff from the SNP decision makers.”