CASKIE Ltd is set to begin demolition work in Kilmarnock, as part of a project to give the town’s centre a new look.
The East Ayrshire Council development will see the bottom end of King Street opened up to create a new outdoor area for public use.
The local authority anticipates that demolition work will last for 20 weeks, with it seeing the removal of the former Mothercare building on the corner of King Street and St Marnock Street.
Caskie Ltd will commence work on January 6, with the surrounding pavement being closed to allow for the erection of scaffolding. Demolition work will start with the manual removal of gable end, followed by mechanical demolition to the three floors.
Councillor Douglas Reid, leader of East Ayrshire Council, welcomed the news. He commented, “We’re looking forward to seeing work commence on this site, which will transform the appearance of the gateway to the King Street pedestrian shopping area.  The work is part of ongoing plans to regenerate this part of our town centre, in line with changing patterns of high street use. We’d rather see this area used as an eco-friendly, open air public space, which can be used and enjoyed by the community than have shop units, which are no longer fit for purpose, lying empty.
“As a council, community led regeneration is one of our driving forces, we believe that working in partnership with our communities, private sector and third sector organisations we can devise innovative and practical solutions to make the best possible use of our public spaces.
“We are already engaging the services of a landscape architect to draw up three concept designs which will incorporate ideas already brought forward by town centre stakeholders. We’ll use these as a basis for further engagement in our public consultation.
“For this project we’ll be linking with Celebrate Kilmarnock who will lead the public engagement, to make sure we gather and take into account views and suggestions from all sectors of our community. We will all also be working closely with Kilmarnock Business Association, to develop a scheme which brings maximum benefit to our traders and local businesses.”
