Proposed hotel complex for Stevenston

[iain]

I notice that the most noteworthy Stevenstonian development for some time has entered the Planning system. The application is for a hotel/restaurant complex on the Pennyburn Roundabout just past Morrisons. I’ve the vaguest of recollections that a similar application was knocked back by NAC Planning a few years ago. However, the economic climate has changed somewhat since then and I hear that just about any development put forward nowadays is likely to get through.

Although this development represents one more step towards the urban sprawls of Stevenston and Kilwinning joining-up with each other, a 27 bedroom hotel can only be a good thing for the economy of the area. Also, a field outside of town is a more socially responsible place to build a hotel than in the middle of a Beach Park (I’m grumpily referring to Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company's Irvine Beach Park hotel development which was approved a few months ago).

A link to the planning application is here:

http://www.eplanning.north-ayrshire.gov ... XESLE5Z000

[aland]

been talked about/planned since the bypass was built so about time too. would say if it is in the field next to the fire station doesnt it mean technically it is in kilwinkieland??

dont even go there about irvine bay's plans... rearrange the following into a phrase or saying "crap load of"

[iain]

Alan, that's a good question re. whether the site's in Stevenston or Kilwinning. Ashamedly, I'm not exactly sure where the eastern boundary of Stevenston lies. The title of the planning application describes it as Stevenston...but the application says it's in Kilwinning ward...but the application also says that the site falls under the jurisdiction of Stevenston Community Council!

[little plum]

The boundary was or still is the " Penny Burn" which you can clearly see is identified on this map. The burn runs down past Dubbs farm on the Stevenston side before making it's way into the river Garnock.

It's time Stevenston town councilors made their voice heard.

[ardrossanrentboy]

Shown clearly on older maps the boundary line is shown as the dotted line along the Penny Burn so even the Fire Station is within Stevenston's boundary.

[ardrossanrentboy]

Further south the map shows that whilst Broom Farm is in Stevenston, Dubbs Farm is across the boundary of the Penny Burn and is in Kilwinning ... who knew that ?

[iain]

That's very interesting. It seems that Stevenston has more land in the north but less in the south than I'd intuitively guessed.

[frank quinn]

In the 50's, there was a lot of talk about Hotel & shore area to be altered to attract
holidaymakers.Of course being Stevenston nothing happened.Is This another bird
brained idea.Stevenston has "SHRUNK".Promises,promises!!I for one would love
to see Stevenston being more than a bus stop between North & South Ayrshire.

[ardrossanrentboy]

That's very interesting. It seems that Stevenston has more land in the north but less in the south than I'd intuitively guessed.

The anomaly may be because from the 12th century onwards when the land was appropriated and divided up they usually didn't bother with potentially unproductive lands such as shifting sand dunes and variable river estuaries. Was it not the case in ancient times that the dunes area extended further north than now.
The original Stivenstoune was a minor lairdship probably centred on Kerelaw.
I seem to remember the origin of Cunningham was said to be from the variations for ' rabbits ' from the Romans / Cymric / Norman French. How many rabbits populate the Ardeer Peninsula nowadays ? ... I've seen several dozen recently sitting by the roadside at the Volvo roundabout and that's not so far from the Garnock estuary.

[ardrossanrentboy]

Word Origin & History
coney c.1200, from Anglo-Norm. conis, pl. of conil "long-eared rabbit" (Lepus cunicula) from L. cuniculus (cf. Sp. conejo, Port. coelho, It. coneglio), the small, Spanish variant of the It. hare (L. lepus), the word perhaps from Iberian Celtic (classical writers say it is Spanish). Rabbit arose 14c. to mean the young of the species, but gradually pushed out the older word 19c., after British slang picked up coney as a synonym for "beep" (cf. connyfogle "to deceive in order to win a woman's sexual favors"). The word was in the King James Bible [Prov. xxx.26, etc.], however, so it couldn't be entirely ...
Plus from Roget's thesaurus etc! Coney / Cuniculus / Cony
Just looking at the Celtic origins of Ardeer name suggests this /Ardeer House
Etymologists have derived the name of Ardeer from the Gaelic Ard-dyir, which signifies "the barren promontory," and so far as the outward appearance of the locality is concerned, the descriptive cognomen seems appropriate. The shore for miles around is composed almost entirely of sand-hills, which alter their conformation with every hurricane. The land for a great distance inland is bare of forest-trees, and the stunted shrubs which eke out a sickly existence in that quarter intensify the feeling of desolation which oppresses the visitor in his journey from the sea-coast. The wealth of the district, however, lies underground; and one of the most valuable sandstone quarries in Scotland is upon the estate of Ardeer. Coal has been wrought in the neighbourhood since 1675, and though the industry of the place was only developed some thirty years ago (1851), the mining interest has been most remunerative. The recent establishment of works for the manufacture of Nobels' Explosives (dynamite) on the sand-dunes of Ardeer has directed special attention to the district. Traces of very early fortifications may be found on the trap-rock mound still called Castlehill, which lies near the main road between Stevenston and Kilwinning, though it may be doubted whether this post was other than a beacon-fire to signal the advent of an invading force on the Scottish shore. In ancient times the estate of Ardeer belonged to the Cuninghames of Auchenhervie, but it was purchased from them in 1708 by the Rev. Patrick Warner, and remains in the family of his descendants. The daughter of the first Warner of Ardeer was married to the Rev. Robert Wodrow (1679-1734), the eminent historian of the Church of Scotland, and she survived her husband for twenty-five years.

The mansion of Ardeer does not occupy the position of the original manor-house, but seems to have been built near the old house of Ducat-hall, the property so named having been purchased by the Rev. Patrick Warner in 1708, when he became proprietor of Ardeer. An avenue and carriage-drive lead to the door of a regularly built dwelling, over the entrance to which a balconied porch has been erected, supported on four Ionic pillars and pilasters. The style of the triangle facade and heavily corniced windows places the date of the structure towards the close of last century.
Before the mining and later Nobel's works stabilised the dunes it was probably the case that the landscape changed frequently with the weather, would this have affected the wildlife's habitat substantially?
My own guess at the origin of the name Irvine is the Celtic expression Ur-abhainn ( pronounce it quickly and get Urvin ) signifying a new river or a constantly changing river course (both the Garnock and the Irvine rivers)

[iain]

That's a lot of interesting information! I'd never read of that particular translation of 'Ardeer'. I prefer the alternative translation which replaces 'desolate' with 'wilderness'!

Before the mining and later Nobel's works stabilised the dunes it was probably the case that the landscape changed frequently with the weather, would this have affected the wildlife's habitat substantially?

When long-dead authors talk of the Ardeer Peninsula’s constantly shifting sand dunes, it conjures in the mind’s eye a picture of Saharan-esque sand dunes lacking any vegetation. In reality, a certain percentage of the dunes would have been covered (and often partly stabilised) by pioneer dune vegetation. Perhaps every year or two a storm would change the landscape dramatically; however, vast areas of the dunes would have remained as they were the previous year even though the character of the peninsula as a whole might have drastically changed.

Generally speaking, the more open sand in dune systems the better - for wildlife anyway. Most people would be taken aback by the number of creatures buzzing around, crawling over or burrowing under large areas of open sand. On the present day Ardeer Peninsula, the most biodiverse areas are the disused sand quarries - and this is simply because these man-made features closely approximate the large areas of open sand that originally characterised the Peninsula's dune system.

Some stabilisation is often necessary for social and economic reasons, but this is usually taken to disastrous extremes by local authorities, who intuitively believe that every square inch of sand dune must be stabilised with vegetation or else the dunes will disintegrate within a matter of years!

[iain]

This planning application was recenctly approved by NAC Planning. Of course, this doesn't mean that physical work will ever go ahead, but I suspect it's only a matter of time before it does. I'm not well acquainted with arguments against the proposal (no objections were lodged with the Council), but I suspect that this will be a positive thing for the area.

Iain