WITH various success stories and derelict buildings becoming vibrant and focal attractions in the Three Towns, it is fair to say that Irvine Bay will leave their mark on the area for many years to come.

And as they come close to completion, we look at what they have done for the local area and talk to their Chief Executive about moving forward towards their winding up in 2017.

Projects like Cechinni’s, Ardrossan Health Centre, Bridgegate, Kilwinning Town Centre, the Jack Miller Building and the Grange Bingo Hall saw buildings which had fallen into disrepair brought back to life and made them focal points within North Ayrshire.

Speaking exclusively to the Herald, Patrick Wiggins spoke candidly about what has been delivered, what they have left to do and how things will be after Irvine Bay is no more.

He said: “We’re in the final seven months of our time and what we are trying to do is put in place a provision for the final set of projects that we want to deliver. We’ve been selling some assets to raise the cash to allow us to put funding into various bits and pieces.

“We’re hoping to be on site soon at Countess Street in Saltcoats and that will be a streetscape improvement scheme, it’ll be from Saltcoats Station right down to the junction with Dockhead Street. That will compliment the work that has gone on in the Town Hall. We’re hoping to create a really vibrant area that begins to link people from the station, past the Town Hall and into the town centre. We’re aiming to get that completed by the end of March.

“We know the Town Hall has been a great success and securing the funding for that was really important. It’s been a great joint project with the council, we’re really pleased with that one.”

Irvine and Kilwinning have both faired well from Irvine Bay with various projects and Patrick said that the Kilwinning one, which was one of the first, was and continues to be a success, he added: “Kilwinning was one of our more successful schemes and what came off the back of that was the businesses themselves began to do a bit more and invested in their own properties because they felt it was worthwhile.”

As the company winds up, all of their remaining assets, including their own HQ, will be sold or put up for sale and the money used will be reinvested into the local area with measures in place to ensure that all money is reinvested into the local area.

The most recent building to be sold was the health centre in Ardrossan. Patrick explained how that came about, he said: “The health centre in Ardrossan is sold to a private investor. It was a success. That project pre-dated the URC (Urban Regeneration Company). People have been trying to get a health centre at that site for a good couple of years. It’s been a fantastic project, it’s a highly prominent site, very visible to all the traffic going to and from Arran, it’s a real statement about Ardrossan.

“No others in Ardrossan have been sold yet but they have been put on the market and we have one live interested party in the top floor of the marina development which is to rent.”

The building was sold in a ‘multi-million pound deal’ with other assets being placed on the market and some of them already have interested parties.

The money used from the sales will go into re-investing in projects like Countess Street in Saltcoats meaning that any money will always be in the local area.

In Stevenston, the building as a whole at the old Grange Bingo site is up for sale and new tenants are being sought as Patrick confirmed that Bargain B’s, owned by Scotmid, would be moving out towards the end of the year.

He said: “Scotmid have rescinded their lease and they will be moving at the end of the year. The building as a whole is up for sale but we are looking for new tenants.”

A Scottish based company are looking to take over three buildings in the i3 area of Irvine, including at the building where Irvine Bay’s headquarters are currently housed, Patrick described the company as having ‘International money’ and hopes that deal will be concluded soon but admitted it was slowed down due to Brexit.

With less than a year to go, Irvine Bay will work closely with North Ayrshire Council to ensure a smooth transition and although not everything that they set out to do has been achieved, what they have brought to North Ayrshire is new, improved and exciting building works, regeneration and

jobs.