Residents in Maybole and North Ayr will have the opportunity to put forward their views on the location of proposed new children's residential units as a consultation exercise gets underway at two community events organised by South Ayrshire Council.
The Council is committed to improving the quality of residential accommodation provided for accommodated and look after children and plans to open three new six-bed facilities across South Ayrshire.
The intention is that these facilities will replace the existing residential child care units at Woodhead Road in Coylton (which has capacity for 11 young people) and the two-bed satellite unit at Glenriddel Road in Ayr, which are no longer fit for purpose to meet the needs of young people in 2010 and beyond.
The plans will not only improve the quality of the accommodation on offer to young people, they will also increase the Council's capacity to accommodate them within its own facilities, keeping them in their local communities and giving them the best possible chance in life.
Two sites – Queen's Terrace in Maybole and Dunlop Terrace in Ayr – have been identified as preferred locations for the first two units while a suitable location for the third has still to be identified.
The Council is now seeking views from members of the local communities on the proposed Maybole and Ayr sites. Consultation events will take place in Maybole Town Hall at 7pm on Wednesday 3 March and the Assembly Hall at the University of the West of Scotland at 7pm on Wednesday 17 March.
Councillor Nan McFarlane, Portfolio Holder for Social Services, said: "Our current residential provision is now dated and vastly in need of upgrading to ensure we provide the best possible experiences and outcomes for the looked after and accommodated children and young people in our care. New residential units are the ideal way to achieve that, improving living conditions for young people and working conditions for our staff.
"A great deal of work has gone into identifying the possible sites and the Maybole and Ayr locations offer everything we could possibly want – they are part of the local community, provide access to learning, recreation and employment opportunities and will allow us to keep more of our young people within their local communities rather than sending them outwith South Ayrshire, maintaining contact with families and friends.
"The next step is to hear what the local communities think about these options and an extensive consultation exercise is now underway to give all interested parties an opportunity to have their say. I hope as many people as possible come along to these events.
"We know people will have many questions they want answered and many comments they want to make and that's exactly what this consultation is designed to offer."
The consultation on the locations of the children's units will run until Wednesday 31 March. Anyone wishing to put forward their views can pick up a leaflet at Council offices and facilities in Maybole and North Ayr. Alternatively, they can attend one of the consultation events or visit the website at www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/consultations.