BOSSES at an Irvine-based furniture company are hoping to bring a slice of IKEA to the town.

Denny Shop UK have been operating in the town for around a decade and currently utilise a wharehouse in Drybridge Park on Shewalton Road.

Though at present, this only assists with their online operations, with no physical store available.

Selling home, garden and DIY products, the business feels that it would benefit from a physical space for customers to browse products.

They say that is why they have submitted an application to North Ayrshire Council to change the use of a vacant unit they have taken ownership of.

The applicant, Mr Mahmood Saleem, is looking to convert the former North Ayrshire Council legal services office into a new showroom for Denny Shop.

The former office is located adjacent to their existing premises on Shewalton Road.

The plans for the proposed showroom are ambitious, as is discussed in the applications supporting statment.

It discusses how the local business hope to emulate the success of Swedish funriture manufacturers IKEA whose shops are famous for providing a great 'day out' for those looking to make home improvements.

An application statement says: "They [Denny Shop] have noticed a growing demand from customers, particularly the local community, for a physical space where they can view their products before making a purchase.

"Therefore, they would like to propose the conversion of the adjacent building, which is currently classified as an office (formerly North Ayrshire Council Legal Services) but has been abandoned for number of years, into a showroom.

"The vision for this showroom is inspired by the successful concept employed by 'IKEA', where customers can browse and interact with the products before making a final selection online.

"They strongly believe that having a showroom would greatly benefit the business, as it would allow customers to see and experience the quality of their products first-hand.

"Additionally, it would establish a stronger presence within the local community, fostering trust and customer loyalty."

The application adds that they feel that with the guidance of the council "this building can be brought back to life".

The statement adds: "They can transform the abandoned office building into a vibrant showroom, contributing to the revitalization of the area and facilitating the growth of business within the local community."

The showroom would be open from 9am until 7pm every day, with three members of staff running the shop floor.

The exisiting car park, which provides 23 spaces, would be utilised. The car park was previously used by North Ayrshire Council legal services.

And while the application was only submitted this week, it may not be long until the showroom is operational if approved.

That is because work had already been completed on the conversion prior to the application being put to the local planning body.

This started in October 2022, before being completed in May of this year.

This mistake was made as the applicants said there was "no known use class order" for the building so informal advice they received led them to believe no planning permission was required.

Though when they were made aware of this requirement, the application was lodged.

It is currently with North Ayrshire Council, pending consideration.

For more details on the application, you can find this on the council's online planning portal searching for reference 23/00471/PP.