Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring, evaluating and measuring success

Monitoring and evaluating progress throughout the masterplanning journey will be fundamental to ensuring that investment delivers the intended economic, social and environmental outcomes. A robust evidence base will enable us to measure the effectiveness of interventions, demonstrate value for money and inform future investment decisions.

Success will be assessed through a range of key performance indicators and town centre data, including footfall, business survival rates, commercial vacancy levels, business occupancy, visitor numbers, employment, investment secured and wider measures of town centre vitality and resilience. This data will be monitored over time to identify trends, evaluate the impact of projects and ensure that investment continues to respond to changing needs and opportunities.

Regular engagement with businesses, residents, visitors and stakeholders will also provide valuable insights into how the town centre is performing and how it is experienced. Together, these measures will create a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework that supports continuous improvement and ensures the masterplan remains responsive, evidence-led and focused on delivering long-term, sustainable regeneration outcomes.

Pride in place

A clean town - A town that gets the basics right. A clean well maintained town centre that the community can feel proud of. A collaborative effort of public and private sectors working together to take pride in the town centre.
A liveable neighbourhood - A town that’s safe, inclusive and accessible for all. A town that promotes health and well being with easy access to health facilities, leisure and learning facilities.

A Thriving Town

A town that’s a vibrant the place to be.
A thriving town that is fun for all, full of seasonal events and activities. A place of creativity, community and culture.
A place to live, work, learn and leisure.

Digital transformation and innovation

A town that embraces digital technology and innovation. A town that integrates smart and sustainable technology into the built environment. A smart town that provides communities and tourists with access to digital platforms and new ways of working.

Connectivity

A connected town - A town with attractive key arrival spaces welcoming people to Kilmarnock. A connected town with a compact walkable core that has improved connections between transport hubs, the river and green spaces. An active travel town that is parking friendly and simple to navigate for pedestrians, cars and cyclists.

Vacant buildings

Retail and business development re-use and resilience
A town where independent businesses can thrive and where business collaboration and networks flourish.
A town where vacant buildings find a new life and purpose to retain our built heritage in a sustainable way.

Heritage, leisure and public realm - Culture creativity and experience

A town with a distinct character defined by its rich built heritage and well maintained thriving, public realms. A place for experiences rather than transactions. A place for creativity and culture to thrive. A place for wellness and leisure.

Town centre living

Liveable Towns - Enhancing the provision of town centre housing to encourage people to live in the heart of the town centre, contributing to its vibrancy and safety. Creating a 20 minute walkable and accessible neighbourhood.

Climate

A sustainable future

A town designed for climate change and respect for future generations
A town designed to celebrate and work with water and green spaces
A town that prioritises the net zero agenda
A town that prioritises re-purposing and retrofit

We will achieve these aims by following these key criteria:

Make the town centre more accessible and easier to move around.
Enhance blue and green infrastructure for nature, wellbeing, play, recreation and resilience.
Incorporate local history, art and traditions into the design of places
Support health and wellbeing
Generate inward investment and stimulate a diverse range of economic.
Provide flexible spaces for a range of economic, recreational and cultural activity, recreation and resilience.
Provide opportunities for people to engage with each other fostering a sense of place and empowering communities to take a role in the success of their town centre recreation and resilience.

Our Approach

Kilmarnock Town Centre Regeneration is being driven forward by a Strategic Vision and Conceptual masterplan alongside the delivery of projects identified in the masterplan.

This is a step change from previous work on the town centre, whereby we are not simply creating a masterplan but are concurrently delivering on the ambitions it sets, even at this preliminary stage.

From the outset we want to learn from previous work - making sure that the masterplan is a dynamic and evolving document with a strong focus on delivery to meet the ambitions of local community.

A phased (layer) approach

A phased [layered] masterplan approach is a strategic framework which overlaps diverse layers to allow for an evolving and dynamic masterplan process. It promotes progression and delivery of projects in real time with ongoing partnership working to deliver complex and larger scale aspirations. Our masterplan will be delivered in three phases.

Phase 1: Projects and initiatives which can be delivered and which are in our control

Phase 2: Achievable projects with funding but with some risks or complexities

Phase 3: Long term aspirational projects with complexities with no funding

Learning from others

We will work with others to share expertise and resources to maximise the potential of all our proposed projects:

Working in partnership
Providing inspiration
Real life examples
Gaining knowledge, skills and insight
Building networks
Lessons learned

Place based approach

A place-based approach is a flexible, collaborative framework that focuses on the unique characteristics and works in conjunction with residents and users of each place. It requires joint working, collaborative work that takes the unique blend of characteristics that exist in every place. By doing so, it will identify and maximise the positive impact and reduce any unintended consequences of our actions. This approach enables better informed decisions leading to the delivery of more effective services and more resilient communities.

Focus on local needs
Prevention and early intervention
Whole systems approach
Community empowerment

Policy based approach

A policy based approach ensures that the masterplan and projects deliver on ‘The Golden Thread’ of policies from national, regional to local levels. By using evidence-based policy we can align our masterplan to wider social, economic and global challenges.

The golden thread - Strategic framework
Addressing local to global challenges and opportunities
Addressing social economic challenges

Evidence based approach

An evidence-based approach is a disciplined, informed, and reflective method of decision-making that will inform the shaping of the masterplan. It involves detailed analysis of the urban fabric and infrastructure, as well as a places culture, history, social, economic and political landscapes. An evidence-based approach allows for informed decision making by data and scientific research.

Integration of multiple research sources
Building on previous work
Critical appraisal/observations
Urban analysis/social/economic/political analysis