Diner all set to get go ahead
Barassie shore dream on
A swish seafront diner will be given the green light to open in Barassie.
Council chiefs are this week set to approve bold plans for a surfers’ paradise on the North Shore.
Hotel boss Dorothy Birks wants to transform grotty disused toilets into a culinary bolt hole.
A 60 cover restaurant and ice cream parlour will boast stunning panoramic views over Arran.
And the radical £ 750,000 project will even feature a wetroom for wave dodgers.
Mrs Birks, 55, owns the Kirkmichael Arms and previously spent more than a decade in Troon running the Dowanayr B& B and Venice Bistro.
She said: “I think with the demolition of The Tower, and the proposed new housing for Troon, now is an excellent time to progress with this work.
“At present there is nowhere for local people to visit and have a nice meal without having to drive.
“We feel this project would be really great for tourism, lift the whole area and provide local employment.”
Concerns over flood risks at the site had beset the bid until earlier this summer.
Safety officials have ruled that a two- and- a- half feet high base is needed to avoid a one in 200- year flood.
The diner is now set for the nod of approval at South Ayrshire Council on Thursday.
Residents in Troon and Barassie have been quick to nail their colours to the mast, with a raft of supporting letters making their way to council HQ.
Neil McGuffie said: “This appears to be an excellent, well thought out and planned development in an area of Troon that has scant facilities.”
Jinty Haddow labelled the project a “superb use for dismal building in an area lacking in tourist amenities”.
And Caryl Ros added: “This is an excellent change of use for the old toilets which have been an eyesore for years and a blot on a lovely beach.
“It will bring some life and some upgrading to the area which currently offers nothing except to dog walkers and windsurfers.”
Mrs Birks has set a target of opening in time for next year’s Open Championship, being held at Royal Troon, should she get the go- ahead.