CEVIC sale is best solution for all, vows council chiefs

East Ayrshire Council has moved quickly to defend their position in the wake of last week’s crunch talks with the Save the CEVIC campaign group.

The local authority said that “extensive works” would need to be made to the existing nursery in Newton Street in order to facilitate their child care expansion plans.

They also claimed that, with current CEVIC building owners, the Catrine Community Trust, in financial trouble, the proposal to buy the building could be the best solution for all.

A spokesperson said: “Janie Allen, Strategic Education Manager with responsibility for the Early Years’

Service, explained that extensive works would be required to the current building ( Newton Street) where the windows are too high for young children to see out of, the layout does not support children to move around and use the spaces independently and as there is no direct access from indoor rooms to outdoor space, children do not have freedom of choice to access the outdoors independently.

“Matters like these could be addressed and other refurbishment works could be done to improve the facility for children who, following the introduction of an 1140 hours service in Catrine, are in the Centre for much longer each day than previously.

“It was explained that the nature of the works are such that the service would need to be decanted elsewhere for six months- or more- but that alternative accommodation had still to be identified and the option of freeing up space in the Primary School would be examined.

“She also explained that she had been asked to consider the use of the CEVIC building for the future provision of Early Learning and Childcare within the area and had visited the building with a Council architect.

“She believed that this presented a great opportunity to move into a modern, light and airy building of a style not dissimilar to the newly built Early Childhood Centres in Netherthird, Stewarton and

Kilmaurs.”

The spokesperson also said that Craig McArthur, Head of Transformation, had explained that Catrine Community Trust were “close to insolvency” and one option as part of a rescue package was the sale of the CEVIC to the Council.

It was also revealed that council officers did not have “Cabinet authority” to agree to the group’s demands to stop the Planning Application.

The spokesperson added: “In advance of the report to the Cabinet, we will take soundings from key groups. We would intend to include the ( Save the CEVIC) group in this and hope that they will see this as a postiive step.”