Failed £20m bid for Bellfield could have silver lining for growth deal projects

dailyrecord.co.uk:

East Ayrshire Council’s plans for one of its key Ayrshire Growth Deal projects have been hit by the failure to secure key funds.But the council says that the need to relocate the Ayrshire Manufacturing Investment Corridor (AMIC) from Bellfield to Moorfield in Kilmarnock will have a silver lining.The project was due to be built to the west of the Bellfield Interchange, between the A71 and A76.A £20m bid to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund came up short earlier this year.

The project was also left out of the Strategic Transport Projects Review.A report to the council’s cabinet recommends that the project be relocated to Moorfield, which was the other site considered at the outset.Councillors will be asked to approve the co-location of another Ayrshire Growth Deal project, the Ayrshire Engineering Park (AEP), at Moorfield.A total of £23.5m is being invested by the UK and Scottish governments in the AMIC project, with a further £16m, including £4m from EAC, allocated to the AEP.The report states: “£10 Million from the UK government supports the development of a food and drink centre of excellence and incubation units and £13.5 Million from the Scottish government supports development of infrastructure and advanced manufacturing industrial units for the food and drink sector.“Sector specific support for the food and drinks industry is currently not available in the South West of Scotland.

The AMIC centre aims therefore to fill the gap.The AMIC includes:The report outlines the reasons for relocation, including a reduction of floorspace by around a third.It states: “Like many construction projects, construction inflation has affected the scale of the proposed physical development.“The site at Bellfield Interchange was