South Ayrshire Council News

Visitors to Ayr will find it easier and more interesting to explore the town centre thanks to a new Signage and Orientation system to be installed before the end of March next year.

Getting about Ayr town centre and the seafront area is easy for local people, but visitors to Ayr sometimes find it difficult to navigate the system of streets and find the most interesting places. The new information system will make it easier for visitors to explore the historic town centre and encourage them to extend their stay in Ayr as well as making it more enjoyable for them.

Ayr town centre is small enough to easily walk around, it has interestingly shaped streets with sufficient twists and turns to give it a bit of mystery and character. The Renaissance strategy for Ayr town centre highlights the key assets as the medieval High Street, the Citadel, the River Ayr, the seafront and Low Green. The town has buildings of architectural interest and enjoys a rich but often forgotten history.

Councillor Hywel Davies, the Portfolio Carrier for Tourism and Enterprise said: "Tourism is worth around £160 million pounds per year to South Ayrshire, so it is vital that we do everything we can to make visitors feel welcome."

"Due to the layout of Ayr town centre often visitors are not aware of how to get to the seafront or how to get around the town. When they arrive at the bus and rail stations or car parks strangers to the town often do not appreciate how close they are to the seafront, likewise those who arrive at the seafront are sometimes not aware how close they are to the town centre. This can limit their opportunities to explore, because the street layout has been developed from the medieval town, and is not laid out in a grid as many newer towns are."

"A new signage system and user friendly maps will help people to explore more easily and really enjoy their time in Ayr and South Ayrshire. Visitors to the area boost our local economy and make it stronger. Competition from other towns to attract tourists is very fierce, so investment in signs and maps to attract people and encourage them to make return visits is very worthwhile."

Streetwise Orientation and Navigation Systems Ltd are specialists in navigation and orientation systems and have installed systems for Edinburgh City Council, Redding Council, Medway Council were commissioned by South Ayrshire Council to design visitor orientation signage at Cromwell Road in Ayr as part of the Citadel Development.

Following a presentation to Councillor Hugh Hunter, the Leader of South Ayrshire Council and the Councillors representing the Ayr wards, the company were commissioned to give recommendations on developing the Citadel signage into a system that would navigate and orientate visitors who are on foot around the town centre, the Citadel and the Low Green.

Members of the Leadership Panel have agreed that Streetwise Orientation and Navigation Systems Ltd should be engaged to extend their contract to design, build and install a navigation system for Ayr. Community representation groups, and the historical and civic societies will be given the opportunity to contribute information for the units that will guide visitors around the town and seafront areas. In addition 100,000 promotional free pocket maps will be produced. The total estimated cost of the project is £65,000.

A European Regulation Development Funding (ERDF) grant was secured for phase 5 of the Citadel development that included the surfacing and landscaping of the Cromwell Road Car Park plus the provision of visitor information signage at that location. The project was delivered under budget, leaving an outstanding balance on the approved grant. Strathclyde European Partnership have offered approval to extend this project to grant assist the design and installation of the proposed town centre and seafront orientation system at a 50% intervention rate.

The Council made specific allocation to the 2007/8 tourism budget for signage and promotion and it is proposed that costs of this project be met from this provision. Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire will also be contributing to the net cost.