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Ayrshire, Scotland, 22 August 2009--South Ayrshire Council’s ?235,000 refurbishment of the pedestrian underpass below King Street at Limonds Wynd in Ayr is now complete.

Councillor Peter Convery, Portfolio Holder for Sustainability and the Environment was joined by local Councillors, the contractor, council officers and local residents at the underpass to officially declare it open.

[Pictured: Local resident Debbie McConnell, and Joe Lafferty, chairman of Wallacetoun and Newton Regeneration Forum cut a ribbon to mark the formal opening of the refurbished underpass. They were joined by Councillors and Council officers.]

A ribbon cutting ceremony took place to mark the occasion. Councillor Convery said: “Everyone in the community will benefit from the refurbishment of the underpass. Adults, children, older people and those with disabilities can all now move around in the area without having to cross a very busy dual carriageway.

“I would encourage everyone to use the underpass that provides a direct, convenient and safe route for pedestrians to move from one side of King Street to the other.”

During the refurbishment programme the underpass had new brick wall cladding and new metal parapets and handrails fitted. Replacement lighting, anti-slip treatment to the walking surface, improvements to drainage and installation of CCTV cameras have all made the underpass much more user-friendly.

Speaking about the refurbished underpass, Councillor McIntosh, Resources and Performance Portfolio Holder said: “The refurbishment has made a real difference to the underpass, and I am sure that more people will be encouraged to use it. The underpass will now also be easier to maintain, as small street sweeping vehicles will be able to access it.

“The project was funded from the Council’s General Services Capital Budget, and this clearly demonstrates the ongoing investment that the Council is making in upgrading a range of facilities in South Ayrshire.”

Work has begun to create a multi-million pound leisure and cultural park for Knowsley.

The builders will begin shortly on the site, at Longview Lane, Huyton, which was marked with an official sod-cutting ceremony attended by VIP guests.

When finished, the park will bring state of the art leisure facilities including an aquatic centre with two pools, sports hall, studio space, gym and adult day care centre. In addition, it will also accommodate performances allowing new cultural, art and theatre events to take place in the borough for the first time.

The park will be complimented by an OurPlace youth facility, which is subject to a funding bid by the Big Lottery Fund. Plans include skateboarding facilities, IT, music and arts spaces – all housed in an iconic new building.

Council Leader Cllr Ron Round said “This is a major step forward in providing our residents with the facilities they deserve, as well as giving a boost to jobs and the local economy. This major investment will strengthen Knowsley’s growing international sporting links in the build up to the 2012 Olympics.”

The project is part of Knowsley’s ?25 million investment which includes the leisure and culture park on Longview Drive, Huyton, a new leisure facility in Stockbridge Village and a commitment of ?1m to enhance leisure facilities in Prescot.

This is on top of money that has already been spent to create new leisure centres in Kirkby and Halewood. There are also extra leisure and sports facilities in the new Centres for Learning that have replaced the borough’s secondary schools.

The site has been made ready for construction for work to start in the next few weeks and it is anticipated that the new building will be opened by the Autumn of 2011.