North Ayrshire Council depute leader Shaun Macaulay insists vital work on the site of the Kings Arms pub will be carried out as soon as possible.

The hotel closed to the public in 2015 and lay derelict in the years that followed, becoming an eyesore on the town's High Street.

The run-down C-listed building was then bought by North Ayrshire Council in 2020 with proposals revealed two years later to "secure the future" of the old venue.

It was announced in 2022 that the former hotel would be transformed into six affordable one and two bedroom homes thanks to the funding boost.

But the adjoining lane from West Road to the main street remains closed for safety reasons.

Cllr Macaulay said: “There was an option to tear the building down but that wasn’t an option for me because it’s a historic landmark, and a historic part of Irvine so we wanted to keep the front part of it.

“We were really keen that it was central to what we wanted to do in Irvine, in terms of brightening up the town centre.

“We increased the budget so it goes into amenity housing. Now the work will be getting started as soon as possible but we want to make sure that people see progress from the council. I am keen to see progress on it as it has been derelict of a number of years.

“The issue is that because of the safety aspect of the building, the lane has to be shut which goes from West Road through to the main street.

“Some people are frustrated and I sympathise with them but I did think it is going to be shut for a period of time.

“One option was to use the stairs at the Forum but we don’t want to as they are in a bad condition or to divert round Eglinton Street for some people with disabilities or mobility issues.

“I am working with council officers to see the best options of access from West Road to the main street.”

Cllr Macaulay still has a historic relic from the old King’s Arms in his family.

He said: “My great great granny worked there and took some plates and saucers out of there when she was leaving.

"My great granny told me they were flinging them out anyway, and my mum still has them in her house.”

We revealed last year that North Ayrshire Council had been awarded £600,000 of funding from the Scottish Government to support the project, which underlined the council’s efforts to breathe new life into the area.

A Meet the Builder’ was held at the Volunteer Rooms on Tuesday, April 30.

The six amenity properties will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom homes, with redevelopment work currently scheduled to get under way later this year.