The Irvine that could have been!

This photo was taken by George McMaster.

This photo was taken from George McMaster's Collection. It shows the impact of the Irvine Development Corporation's town centre redevelopment in a very dramatic way. With the exception of a solitary building on Montgomery Street, Central Fullarton has been obliterated to make way for the shopping centre (here shown with its original roof, over which a second was built within a few years of its opening, as roof No.1 leaked like a sieve). You can clearly see how out of scale the office blocks are, both west and east of the River Irvine (we are looking due east). Bridgegate House (the eastern block) , in particular, dwarfs the medieval heart of this ancient town. The recent refurbishment of this eyesore is deeply to be regretted - an opportunity to demolish it and replace it with something more sympathetic has been lost for a few more years. In this image we see the unholy alliance of inept town planning with crassly insensitive architecture.

This photo was taken by George McMaster. We are looking to the south west from Irvine Moor towards the twin coffer dams, in which the piers of the bridge of the Northern Approach Road are being constructed (the shuttering, into which concrete is due to be poured, is seen in the western coffer dam). To the top left is Waterside, with the buildings belonging to Ayrshire Metal Products beyond. To the top right of the image is the Ardeer Peninsula.

This image's subject is one of relevance to Irvine today, how to you create jobs? Well, back in 1971, the planners at Perceton House thought that they had found the answer- the advanced factory unit (see photo). You could describe this policy of building industrial accommodation speculatively as the 'Field of Dreams' approach to economic development (remember the scene in the movie when Kevin Costner hears a voice in a cornfield telling him 'if you build it, he will come'). The problem is with this idea, with the exception of small workshop space, is that businesses have radically different space, layout and fitting out requirements (electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation) - you cannot predict what these will be. A cluster of 'advanced factories' which the Development Corporation constructed at South Newmoor showed how flawed was this approach. These units were built with loading bays which had insufficient height clearance to allow delivery lorries to access them! Experience has shown that the best ways to attract jobs to an area are: providing a good workforce, one which is educated (Irvine has amongst the worst-performing schools in Scotland, I won't say which ones and not all schools in the town are failing); having a place with good amenities, so removing sporting facilities from the town with the advent of Magnum 2 (which should really be renamed 'Magnum Too Little') is not a bright idea; having a low crime rate, again we are at the bottom of the league on that one; and enjoying an attractive, well-maintained environment -oops, North Ayrshire Council hadn't thought of that one!

This image is taken from George McMaster's Collection. You can clearly see that businesses are starting to relocate in readiness for the demolition of the north side of the street. My thanks go to William Strannigan for these comments: '(this) photo contains, in the centre, a cafe owned by Joe Bramanti , run by a Benedetti who's brother I think was Giovanni Benedetti , who's became a millionaire from industrial cleaning clothes, and industrial rags. His daughter is the famous renowned violinist Niccola Benedetti . I spent a lot of time in that cafe, it was across the road from my grandfathers other bakery shop , J.Short and Sons.' I. like many Irvinites, had a deep love of the mutton pies which you could buy, piping hot, in Short's bakery.

This photo was taken by George McMaster.