The next stage of internal construction works has commenced at the Citadel Leisure Centre as part of the significant upgrades to the facility. To support this transformation, there will be temporary changes to the way customers access gym facilities. For a period of approximately four weeks beginning Monday 20 April, members should access the gym via the rear of the building. Non-members who wish to attend the gym should visit the main reception as normal to pay for their ses

South Ayrshire Council's Ranger Service recently launched a brand-new nature focussed project at an event held on the day of 'Earth Hour' at Ayr Town Hall. The new project, known as 'Stepping Stones', celebrates the inspiring ways local people have undertaken various nature focussed projects to create greenspaces that help facilitate ecological connectivity. The project aims to inform people of what's happening in the local area and offers those who want to join in and help s

At a Council meeting on Thursday 26 March, Councillors agreed to progress three major projects using funding from the Prestwick Capital Regeneration budget.   Following the commitment made in 2024 of £2million for regeneration investment within Prestwick, South Ayrshire Council engaged with Prestwick Civic Pride, stakeholders, and the public to identify key project strands for allocation of funding.   As a result of this consultation, £1million has been budgeted to fund impro

The Leaders of South Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council are once again calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to invest in the A77 and the A75.   These two major trunk roads are critical for connecting passengers and freight between England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Despite this, the roads which run from Ayr to Stranraer and from Stranraer to Gretna, are mainly single carriageway.   The speed limit for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) is restricted and alt

South Ayrshire Council is calling on residents to make full use of their food recycling caddies, as part of a new campaign to reduce waste, boost recycling rates and protect the environment.    Every year, households across Scotland throw away thousands of tonnes of food that could be recycled. When food waste goes into the general waste bin it is sent to an ‘energy from waste’ facility for incineration. Transporting food waste for incineration is five times more expensive an

Marr College has been awarded Intermediate level of the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.   The International School Award celebrates the achievements of schools that do exceptional work in international education to support our young people in gaining a wider cultural understanding.   To achieve this award Marr College undertook various international projects including the exchange of le

Demolition of the Arran Mall in Ayr is set to begin on 23 February 2026. The buildings to be demolished include the three-storey concrete office block on Alloway Street and the single storey mall and retail units behind. The works, which will be carried out by Dem-Master Demolition Ltd, will take approximately six months to complete. Secure hoarding will be put in place around the demolition area. The hoarding will maintain existing access from Dalblair Road to neighbouring p

The squad emerged victorious from a highly competitive tournament involving authority teams from East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Glasgow and Dundee. South Ayrshire faced Glasgow in the final, securing the title and confirming their status as the top primary school authority football team in Scotland. Image - South Ayrshire Council This latest success marks South Ayrshire's second consecutive Association Sevens Championship win. The team is run by the Ayr & Dist

South Ayrshire Council continues to deliver affordable housing, with 147 more homes to be completed or started on site by the end of 25/26. Image - UK Gov The figure comes from the Council's Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP), which outlines affordable housing investment priorities and targets. The SHIP reveals that 258 affordable homes were completed in 2024/25 thanks to large-scale housing developments in Mainholm and Prestwick, and projects delivered by RSL partners.

South Ayrshire Council recently launched the Winter Blue Health Calendar. The Winter Blue Health Calendar completes the set of four seasonal blue health calendar brochures which have been created to inspire individuals to connect with water and enhance their health and wellbeing.   The free Winter Blue Health calendar, which is available in both online and paper format, was launched at an event held at Dolphin House Outdoor Education Centre . The Centre provided a stunning co

South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) are delighted to announce the appointment of Gary Hoey as the new Head of Children's Health, Care and Justice Services for South Ayrshire following an intensive assessment centre and panel interview process. Gary has worked in Social Work and Education for over 30 years, predominately within South Ayrshire. He will be taking up this role following three years as Chief Social Work Officer for South Ayrshire. In his role

South Ayrshire Council has been awarded £481,000 through the Scottish Government’s Place Based Investment Programme. Photo: Troon Concert & Walker Halls (South Ayrshire Council) Funding will support upgrades at Ayr Town Hall and Troon’s Concert and Walker Halls. New audio, visual and production equipment will bring the venues up to modern standards. The Council expects the improvements to help increase footfall in town centres and provide wider benefits to hospitality and loc

Around 60 Primary 7 pupils from Ayr Grammar Primary School visited County Buildings on Wednesday 26 November to learn more about their topic, democracy.   The young people have been learning about the Scottish Parliament and recently held elections for their own Pupil Parliament.   The visit allowed the pupils to experience County Hall and meet some of the school’s local Ward Members, Councillor Bob Shields and Councillor George Weir; Provost Iain Campbell;, Director of Educa

South Ayrshire Council has appointed Kier as the main contractor for the design and construction of a new Girvan Primary School and Early Years Campus - a landmark £33m investment in the region’s educational facilities. Located on the existing Wesley Road site, the new campus will be the first purpose-built facility in Girvan Primary School’s history. The two-storey building will feature modern classrooms, flexible breakout spaces, a dining area, and a sports hall equipped wi

Heathfield Primary School recently received a positive inspection report from Education Scotland.   Image - Miller Homes In June 2025, inspectors from Education Scotland visited the school where they talked to parents, carers and children and worked closely with the head teacher and staff.   The inspection praised the school for its positive relationships between staff and pupils and noted that children are proud of their school and engage well with their learning. The head t

South Ayrshire Council has confirmed that around £230,000 was spent developing plans for the now-abandoned Care Village project at the Hourstons and Arran Mall site in Ayr. Photo: ADN The Council revealed the figure following an enquiry from Ayrshire Daily News, confirming that the money was used for initial design work and site surveys when the Care Village proposal was being explored. A Council spokesperson said: “Since 2019 a range of options all focussing on boosting foo

Pupils at Carrick Academy have buried a time capsule in the grounds of the new Maybole Community Campus for future generations to open. Image - South Ayrshire Council In 2024, during the demolition of the former Carrick Academy building in Maybole, a time capsule dating back to 1925 was discovered. The contents of the time capsule were carefully inspected and preserved by the Ayrshire Archives, details of which can be found in our blog: https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/artic

South Ayrshire Provost Iain Campbell and South Ayrshire Council's Director of Communities and Transformation, Jane Bradley, attended an awards ceremony at Edinburgh castle for the Lowland Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Association Employer Recognition Scheme. South Ayrshire Council was awarded the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award. The ERS recognises employer organisations that pledge, demonstrate, or advocate support to Defence and the Armed Forces community,

South Ayrshire Council have this afternoon revealed that a paper will be brought to the council on 6th November which will recommend scrapping the care village plans for the former Arran Mall & Hourstones site in Ayr. Instead the council will look at the potential of a residential development for the area. SAC Said: “A paper will be brought to Council on 6 November to advise Councillors that proposals to deliver a Care Village at the Hourstons and Arran Mall site in Ayr, is n

The Citadel Leisure Centre in Ayr has received a major facelift as part of its exciting refurbishment programme. Image - South Ayrshire Council The construction of the centre's brand-new entrance façade was completed earlier this month (October 2025). South Ayrshire Council has worked with delivery partners Alliance Leisure and Robertson Construction Central West to deliver a modern, visually striking exterior at the busy facility. Works included curtain walling glazing, a ne