Welcome to a fitting new look
Hideous signs to be swapped
Scruffy signs on South Ayrshire borders are likely to be replaced with the council’s historic Coat of Arms.
The current signs, which welcome people to the area, are 20 years- old and sport an obsolete yellow logo.
This week Leadership Panel councillors are due to vote on whether to splash out £ 45,000 on the new emblems for the entry routes.
A report for the panel said: “The Council’s existing boundary signs have been in place since the unitary authority was set up in 1996. Many of the existing boundary signs are faded or discoloured and a number are missing altogether.”
The 44 new signs are seen as a “priority” and would be erected along A, B, C and U roads.
The tallest and biggest posts would be placed on the two major A77 entry points from East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. The A78 border between South and North Ayrshire would also feature the more prominent placards.
The report said the “replacement of the outdated and unattractive council boundary signs is seen as a priority.”
It added: “There is a risk of reputational damage to the council should the existing boundary signs not be replaced.”
It is expected they would be up before the end of March next year if they get the goahead.
The sum of £ 100,000 has been set aside in this year’s budget for the task. But the replacement work for putting up the new Coat of Arms signs is estimated to cost £ 45,000.
South Ayrshire Council was granted its Coat of Arms in 1996 and it includes the motto ‘ Ne’er forget the People.’ The saying originates from the Robert Burns poem: Does Haughty Gaul Invasion Threat.
The South Ayrshire crest also shows the shield of the former Kyle and Carrick District Council.
The blue dolphin also appears on the Burgh of Maybole Coat of Arms. It is derived from the Marquis of Ailsa Coat of Arms. The blue lion represents King Robert 1, Earl of Carrick before he became King.