Irvine was officially designated as a "New Town" in 1966, the fifth and last to be developed in Scotland and the only 'new town' to be located on the coast. This section will detail some of the developments that took place during this time, and those that did not take place at all.
NEW TOWN CENTRE - by Crawford Fulton
This time we're having a quick look at the IDC's plans for the Mall. As you can see from the illustration, the idea was to have a vast structure running from west of the Cross, right along to the Pilot's House. In the area east of the railway bridge, it would be made up of shops, offices and an integrated new railway station; to the west of the station would be a monorail (very trendy in the 60s) which would link pedestrians and rail passengers through an area of offices, civic buildings, a college, housing, a hotel, various leisure uses (cinema. concert hall, etc.), a marina and a leisure centre to the mouth of the harbour. The problems with the design are obvious: phased developments of this nature are seldom completed as planned, you are doomed to end up with a pig's breakfast; the individual bits of the plan are dependent on the others in order for them to work visually, they do not serve as 'stand alone' elements; what looks good on a model (especially, big bold lines and shapes), tends to look crude and brutal at 1:1 scale; and of course, in creating this 'vision' you are destroying the heart of the Fullarton community, demolishing a 400 year old bridge and seriously compromising the setting of an important medieval Scots Royal Burgh.
Had this whole sorry episode been avoided, through the creation of a new centre at Stanecastle, Irvine could have become a major tourism destination; especially as public interest in heritage gained momentum from the mid-70s onwards.
Lower Bridgegate (late 1960s) - by Crawford Fulton
Looking east, from a few metres onto the Water Bridge; no properties had been demolished at this point - within a few years, only the Trinity Church (seen top right) would remain. Some people would call this 'bold planning' - I would describe it as an unpardonable act physical and cultural vandalism.
The Water Bridge and the Rivergate Bridge Together (1972-73?) - by Crawford Fulton
This photo was taken by George McMaster. Here we see the concrete piers of the new shopping centre being constructed in the foreground and the historic bridge being demolished behind it. For me the phrase 'it would bring a tear to glass eye' has never had more relevance. We have lost more than we have gained.