Town centre living

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King Street livingTo be successful, town centre housing needs to be able to accommodate a range of demographics and demands.
It must offer solutions to satisfy a wide variety of different needs and challenges.

These can include:

  • designing for an ageing population
  • re-thinking opportunities for underused spaces and buildings
  • and making sure town centre and housing plans meet government legislation

Despite strong policy support many issues and constraints can make Town Centre Living difficult to deliver. However, addressing these barriers can bring significant benefits to the town centre economy while boosting opportunities and prosperity, quality of life, cutting carbon and promoting leisure and wellbeing.

An opportunity

Town Centre Living offers a massive opportunity to transform empty commercial and retail spaces into sustainable mixed use residential areas giving new life to heritage and vacant buildings. Working with private sector owners, investors and developers to bring Town Centre Living will have a major role in supporting the town centre's long term regeneration, resilience and vitality.

The council as been selected as the local authority for Architecture and Design Scotland (ADS) pilot project, ‘A design led model for better, faster and more affordable homes’ as part of the Scottish Government response to the housing emergency. This pilot is in the early stages and will be developed over the coming months.

Next steps:

The council is actively investigating opportunities for town centre living and will

  • Continue to work in partnership with Architecture Design Scotland (ADS) to identify opportunities for town centre living for the council Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and private sector.
  • Seek to engage with housing developers to set up working groups to progress options for town centre living.

Read our Masterplan document


King Street livingTo be successful, town centre housing needs to be able to accommodate a range of demographics and demands.
It must offer solutions to satisfy a wide variety of different needs and challenges.

These can include:

  • designing for an ageing population
  • re-thinking opportunities for underused spaces and buildings
  • and making sure town centre and housing plans meet government legislation

Despite strong policy support many issues and constraints can make Town Centre Living difficult to deliver. However, addressing these barriers can bring significant benefits to the town centre economy while boosting opportunities and prosperity, quality of life, cutting carbon and promoting leisure and wellbeing.

An opportunity

Town Centre Living offers a massive opportunity to transform empty commercial and retail spaces into sustainable mixed use residential areas giving new life to heritage and vacant buildings. Working with private sector owners, investors and developers to bring Town Centre Living will have a major role in supporting the town centre's long term regeneration, resilience and vitality.

The council as been selected as the local authority for Architecture and Design Scotland (ADS) pilot project, ‘A design led model for better, faster and more affordable homes’ as part of the Scottish Government response to the housing emergency. This pilot is in the early stages and will be developed over the coming months.

Next steps:

The council is actively investigating opportunities for town centre living and will

  • Continue to work in partnership with Architecture Design Scotland (ADS) to identify opportunities for town centre living for the council Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and private sector.
  • Seek to engage with housing developers to set up working groups to progress options for town centre living.

Read our Masterplan document


  • Developers Round Table

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    Developers round table

    The Council held a Housing Developers Round Table on 6 October 2025 with representatives of over 20 different house-builders and individuals with an interest in housing.

    Town Centre Living was one of the aspects of housing discussed at the event. The feedback was that town centre living cannot be done on its own and there was a need for a co-ordinated approach in terms front loading sites with an infrastructure first approach, grant aid and a good public realm work in the surrounding environment.

    The participants concluded that there was a real opportunity in terms of the ageing population, mid-market rent and for affordable housing which would free up older housing stock for young families and provide a pipeline with the use of active travel and car free living.

    Key Learning

    • Town Centre Living can not be done on its own
    • A co-ordinated approach is needed to kick start sites
    • Risk appetite for Retrofit
    • An infrastructure first approach is needed
    • Grant aid is needed to create and develop opportunities
    • Ageing population, social housing and mid-market rent are key target demographics for East Ayrshire

    Developers round table

    The Council held a Housing Developers Round Table on 6 October 2025 with representatives of over 20 different house-builders and individuals with an interest in housing.

    Town Centre Living was one of the aspects of housing discussed at the event. The feedback was that town centre living cannot be done on its own and there was a need for a co-ordinated approach in terms front loading sites with an infrastructure first approach, grant aid and a good public realm work in the surrounding environment.

    The participants concluded that there was a real opportunity in terms of the ageing population, mid-market rent and for affordable housing which would free up older housing stock for young families and provide a pipeline with the use of active travel and car free living.

    Key Learning

    • Town Centre Living can not be done on its own
    • A co-ordinated approach is needed to kick start sites
    • Risk appetite for Retrofit
    • An infrastructure first approach is needed
    • Grant aid is needed to create and develop opportunities
    • Ageing population, social housing and mid-market rent are key target demographics for East Ayrshire

  • Case Study: Aberdeen Inspired

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    Regenerating upper floors - Aberdeen

    Aberdeen Inspired won a prestigious UK award for leading a ground breaking project to breathe new life into the upper floors of Union Street. The city’s Business Improvement District picked up the title of Best Business Support Scheme 2025 from the Association of Town and City Management UK and Ireland for their Upper Floors Project.

    The visionary scheme is being driven by Aberdeen Inspired with support from Aberdeen City Council (ACC) and the wider stakeholders and city centre business community. They've assembled an expert task force to help bring the upper floors of Union Street back to vibrant life and create a “living and liveable neighbourhood community” in the heart of the Granite City. The team brings together council specialists in planning and building standards with architects, developers and commercial letting agents to find new and innovative uses for unused or unused premises above the ground floor level of the Granite Mile.

    Extract from Aberdeen Inspired 2026 website

    Key Learning

    • Vacant Shop Academy: Vacant Buildings Technical Panel Reviews (Trailblazing)
    • Bottom up place partnership approach
    • Working together in a collaborative shared vision
    • Testing ideas and outcomes with owners / stakeholder / tackling the tough stuff
    • Encouraging people to live in the town centre
    • Breathing new life into vacant upper floors

    Regenerating upper floors - Aberdeen

    Aberdeen Inspired won a prestigious UK award for leading a ground breaking project to breathe new life into the upper floors of Union Street. The city’s Business Improvement District picked up the title of Best Business Support Scheme 2025 from the Association of Town and City Management UK and Ireland for their Upper Floors Project.

    The visionary scheme is being driven by Aberdeen Inspired with support from Aberdeen City Council (ACC) and the wider stakeholders and city centre business community. They've assembled an expert task force to help bring the upper floors of Union Street back to vibrant life and create a “living and liveable neighbourhood community” in the heart of the Granite City. The team brings together council specialists in planning and building standards with architects, developers and commercial letting agents to find new and innovative uses for unused or unused premises above the ground floor level of the Granite Mile.

    Extract from Aberdeen Inspired 2026 website

    Key Learning

    • Vacant Shop Academy: Vacant Buildings Technical Panel Reviews (Trailblazing)
    • Bottom up place partnership approach
    • Working together in a collaborative shared vision
    • Testing ideas and outcomes with owners / stakeholder / tackling the tough stuff
    • Encouraging people to live in the town centre
    • Breathing new life into vacant upper floors

  • Case Study: Laurieston Living

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    Laurieston Living- Urban Union

    Laurieston Living - award winning town centre living

    Laurieston Living, a project led by Urban Union won Scottish Regeneration Project of the Year 2023 at the Scottish Property Awards.

    Laurieston's phase three which is completing this summer, sees the completion of 191 new homes and apartments. This award-winning development continues Urban Union’s highly successful regeneration project of the Gorbals area which has already created 537 new homes.

    Phase three at Laurieston Living forms part of the wider Laurieston Transformational Regeneration Area (TRA), a £140 million revitalisation as part of the Transforming Communities: Glasgow (TCG) a programme which is regenerating eight key neighbourhoods across the city.

    Recognised for outstanding work in creating new communities, this latest development project by the highly regarded and multiple award-winning developer Urban Union sees the delivery of a collection of appealing one and two bedroom apartments, as well as three and four bedroom homes.

    As with all Urban Union homes, phase three at Laurieston Living will provide all the comforts and efficiencies of a new build house with a whole lot more built in to the whole neighbourhood.

    Extract from Urban Union 2026 website

    Key Learning

    • Compact living and tenure blind housing
    • Quality design and materials and public realm
    • Working with local community through the process and beyond
    • Anti-social behaviour and vandalism follow ups and supporting community
    • Ongoing high standard of maintenance to external quality and usable green spaces
    • People and family focus

    Laurieston Living- Urban Union

    Laurieston Living - award winning town centre living

    Laurieston Living, a project led by Urban Union won Scottish Regeneration Project of the Year 2023 at the Scottish Property Awards.

    Laurieston's phase three which is completing this summer, sees the completion of 191 new homes and apartments. This award-winning development continues Urban Union’s highly successful regeneration project of the Gorbals area which has already created 537 new homes.

    Phase three at Laurieston Living forms part of the wider Laurieston Transformational Regeneration Area (TRA), a £140 million revitalisation as part of the Transforming Communities: Glasgow (TCG) a programme which is regenerating eight key neighbourhoods across the city.

    Recognised for outstanding work in creating new communities, this latest development project by the highly regarded and multiple award-winning developer Urban Union sees the delivery of a collection of appealing one and two bedroom apartments, as well as three and four bedroom homes.

    As with all Urban Union homes, phase three at Laurieston Living will provide all the comforts and efficiencies of a new build house with a whole lot more built in to the whole neighbourhood.

    Extract from Urban Union 2026 website

    Key Learning

    • Compact living and tenure blind housing
    • Quality design and materials and public realm
    • Working with local community through the process and beyond
    • Anti-social behaviour and vandalism follow ups and supporting community
    • Ongoing high standard of maintenance to external quality and usable green spaces
    • People and family focus
Page last updated: 31 Aug 2026, 06:21 AM