THE mother of an Ardrossan soldier killed in Afghanistan five years ago has made a plea to North Ayrshire Council to change their decision not to name a street after her son.

Corporal William ‘Sav’ Savage was killed in action on April 30, 2013 along with colleagues Fusilier Samuel Flint and Private Robert Hetherington.

Now his mum Isobel wants there to be a tribute to his sacrifice in the town he loved, where he grew up and went to school.

William was a popular figure with his peers and the news of his death shocked the community.

When Isobel and her partner Jim saw the building work start at the old Stanley Primary School site, they thought that would be the ideal place for a fitting memory to Sav but North Ayrshire Council said that the decision had already been taken – and that it couldn’t be reversed.

But now the council say Cpl Savage’s name will be included in a ‘name bank’ and he could be honoured in the near future.

In a statement, a North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “The street names for the Stanley Road development were agreed by our Three Towns Locality Planning Partnership at a meeting in September last year. The developer would then have notified the Royal Mail and the various utility companies.

“We didn’t receive the request from Ms Savage until after the process and unfortunately weren’t able to change the names agreed at the earlier meeting.”er, we appreciate that Ms Savage would wish to posthumously honour her son’s memory and the name will be considered, if she still wishes, when we are deciding on street names in future developments within Ardrossan or elsewhere in North Ayrshire.”

Isobel, 59, got in touch with the Herald after she read about North Ayrshire Council asking for street name suggestions to be sent to them, despite her request being knocked back.

Isobel, who works as a housekeeper at the Lauriston, said: “I contacted the council when I noticed the building work starting at Stanley Road.

"I went to Patricia Gibson MP who got in contact with them and they just got back and said that the planning had already gone through and there was nothing they could do about it

“Stanley was the school he went to, he went to nursery there. Even if it couldn’t be there, anywhere else in Ardrossan would be fine.

“I have also asked the British Legion at looking to get his name added to the war memorial and some towns have a separate memorial for other conflicts so maybe something like that to remember him by.”

After reading about the new ‘name bank’ scheme from NAC, Isobel said: “I was upset. The steam was coming out my ears. I’d just like him to be remembered in this town.”