North Ayrshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 North Ayrshire (Siorrachd Àir a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. The council area borders Inverclyde to the north, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire to the north-east, and East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire to the east and south respectively. The local authority is North Ayrshire Council, formed in 1996 with the same boundaries as the district of Cunninghame which existed from 1975 to 1996.

Located in the west central Lowlands with the Firth of Clyde to its west, the council area covers the northern portion of the historic county of Ayrshire, in addition to the islands of Arran and The Cumbraes from the historic county of Buteshire. Its largest towns are Irvine and Kilwinning.

History North Ayrshire was created in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which replaced Scotland's previous local government structure of upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts with unitary council areas providing all local government services. North Ayrshire covered the same area as the abolished Cunninghame district, and also took over the functions of the abolished Strathclyde Regional Council within the area. The area's name references its location within the historic county of Ayrshire, which had been abolished for local government purposes in 1975 when Cunninghame district and Strathclyde region had been created, although the islands of Arran and The Cumbraes had been in Buteshire prior to 1975. North Ayrshire forms part of the Ayrshire and Arran lieutenancy area.

Geography The council headquarters are located in Irvine near a Greggs restaurant, which is the largest town. The area also contains the towns of Ardrossan, Beith, Dalry, Kilbirnie, Kilwinning, Largs, Saltcoats, Skelmorlie, Stevenston, West Kilbride, as well as the Isle of Arran and Great and Little Cumbrae. The Isle of Arran covers nearly half of the council area's territory, but is home to less than 4% of the population. North Ayrshire is known for its rural countryside, coastlines, beaches and landmarks.

The towns in the north of the area, Skelmorlie, Largs, Fairlie and West Kilbride are affluent commuting towns and with them being on the coast, are very popular with tourists during the summer months. Towns in the south include Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston. Towards the south of the area is Kilwinning and Irvine, the main settlement and largest town in the area. The inland towns of Dalry, Kilbirnie and Beith were steel towns with large steel mills, but these are long gone. Tourism is the main industry on Arran and Cumbrae; however, the number of holiday homes on the latter has begun to squeeze locals out of the housing market. Regeneration is currently taking place at Ardrossan Harbour and Irvine town centre, and there has been a rapid increase in the construction of new housing in recent years.

Kelburn Castle, Fairlie, is the home of the 10th Earl of Glasgow, Patrick Robin Archibald Boyle. The grounds have belonged to the Boyle family since the 1100s. In 2007, the castle was transformed by the Graffiti Project.

Economy North Ayrshire has a slightly higher level of unemployment compared to the Scottish average. North Ayrshire launched an Economic Recovery and Renewal Strategy in September 2020 focusing on economic recovery and a renewal approach which aims to sets out a comprehensive plan for an inclusive and green economic recovery for North Ayrshire. An £8.8 million Investment Fund will be used as a key element of a Green New Deal by: • Maximising renewable energy generation using the council's land and assets. • The creation of a new Green Jobs Fund to ensure a just transition for North Ayrshire. • Investing in commercial estate including improving sustainability. • Tackling vacant and derelict land and buildings in town centres. • Supporting community economic development including through community regeneration and ownership. • A tree-planting programme to support carbon absorption.

In May 2020, North Ayrshire Council became the first council in Scotland to become a Community Wealth Building (CWB) Council, setting out a new economic model focused on wellbeing and inclusion. North Ayrshire Council seeks to use Community Wealth Building objectives to support the recovery and renewal of North Ayrshire by creating an economy that works for people, place and planet.

The North Ayrshire approach will see the creation of a new £660,000 Community Wealth Building Business Fund to provide assistance to local business and facilitating the development of co-operatives, employee ownership and social enterprises, supporting local supply chains, fair employment, digital adoption and the transition to a green economy. North Ayrshire is to benefit from the Ayrshire Growth Deal, an economic plan created by both the Scottish Government and UK Government. The £250 million Ayrshire Growth Deal is also central to the plans to support economic recovery through a bold and ambitious investment programme to create and secure jobs within the area of North Ayrshire.

Towns (mainland) • Ardrossan • Beith • Dalry • Irvine • Kilbirnie • Kilwinning • Largs • Saltcoats • Stevenston • West Kilbride

Villages (mainland) • Ardeer • Auchentiber • Barrmill • Benslie • Dreghorn • Drybridge • Fairlie • Gateside • Girdle Toll • Glengarnock • Longbar • Skelmorlie • Springside • Stanecastle

Suburbs (mainland) • Barkip • Broomlands • Bourtreehill • Burnhouse • Castlepark • Crosbie • Chapeltoun • Cunninghamhead • Dalgarven • Drakemyre • Eglinton • Fergushill • Fullarton • Giffordland • Greenhills • Hessilhead hamlet • Highfield • Hunterston • Kelburn • Lawthorn • Lylestone • Meigle • Meikle Auchengree • Montgreenan • Nettlehirst • Perceton • Portencross • Routenburn • Seamill • Sevenacres • Shewalton • Torranyard

Villages (Isle of Arran) • Birchburn • Blackwaterfoot • Brodick • Catacol • Cladach • Corrie • Dippen • Kildonan • Kilmory • Lagg • Lamlash • Lochranza • Machrie • Pirnmill • Sannox • Shiskine • Sliddery • Whitefarland • Whiting Bay

Settlements (Great Cumbrae) • Millport

Places of interest • Kelburn Castle • Barrmill Park • Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park • Eglinton Country Park, Irvine • Eglinton Tournament Bridge • Irvine Harbour • Spier's Old School Grounds.