Once building work is complete, it will provide six much-needed new homes for North Ayrshire Council tenants.

Provost Anthea Dickson visited the site this week with Irvine West councillors Shaun Macaulay, Scott Gallacher and Chloe Robertson to view progress on the work, which started earlier this summer.

Councillor Alan Hill, cabinet member for Communities and Islands, said: “It’s fantastic to see the progress already made at the former King’s Arms. The façade of the building is being retained as it remains a landmark in its own right although the rest of the building is being completely redeveloped from the ground up.

“This project will not only provide new homes for council tenants, but it also brings back to life an important location in the heart of Irvine and is part of a wider vision for the regeneration of the town centre, which is receiving £20 million through the Levelling Up Fund.”

Supported by £1.4m funding from the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme and Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, the new flats will become the latest homes to be created as part of the council’s ambitious housebuilding programme, which will see more than 1,600 new homes built across North Ayrshire.

Originally dating from the early 19th century, the King’s Arms Hotel is a category C listed building and is located within the Irvine town centre conservation area.

The High Street building fell into gradual disrepair in the years following the closure of the bar and restaurant in 2015.

In response to the lack of investment and declining condition of the prominent landmark, North Ayrshire Council purchased the building.

With redevelopment now being undertaken by the council’s main contractor for the redevelopment, McLaughlin Construction, the utmost care will be taken to retain the original front façade of the property.

As part of the council’s commitment to tackling climate change and providing energy-efficient homes, a fabric-first approach will be adopted for the site to reduce heat loss and minimise carbon emissions.

Air source heat pumps will be installed to provide heating and hot water at the site, and solar photovoltaic panels will also be included on the site roof to provide electricity for the communal areas of the building.

Work on the six amenity properties, a mix of one and two-bedroom homes, is currently scheduled to be completed by Autumn 2025.