strength
Look after trees already planted
Annick Valley Park has reached its planting milestone.
Long-term benefit depends on healthy trees, accessible paths and maintenance.
What could help →North Ayrshire, in numbers
Issues and SWOT
North Ayrshire council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths to build on. Pressures to address. Choices to make.
These assessments connect evidence with proposed responses. They are not ratings of council performance.
Strengths
strength
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £144,000 (July 2026) in North Ayrshire council area. This is about £53,000 lower than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →Weaknesses
weakness
Move cleared housing land towards suitable homes
Nursery Place’s former flats have been demolished and replacement plans published.
Cleared land does not yet provide housing.
What could help →Opportunities
opportunity
Use replacement housing to improve accessibility
Nursery Place includes amenity and wheelchair-suitable homes.
The scheme can address specific needs rather than simply replace unit numbers.
What could help →opportunity
Connect local skills to local opportunities
24.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in North Ayrshire council area. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.8% in Arran to 24.2% in Irvine West — a gap of 12.3 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →opportunity
Target safety work where problems repeat
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole North Ayrshire council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
What could help →opportunity
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →Threats
threat
Keep the campus’s extra work and cost clear
Ardrossan Campus has incurred extra removal and safety costs.
Unexpected ground or site work can change both cost and timing.
What could help →| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Look after trees already plantedCouncil progress report to March 2026. | North Ayrshire Council | |
| Move cleared housing land towards suitable homesMarch 2026 housing proposal. | North Ayrshire Council | |
| Use replacement housing to improve accessibilityPublished design proposal. | North Ayrshire Council | |
| Keep the campus’s extra work and cost clearCouncil’s 2026 campus update. | North Ayrshire Council | |
| Make room for homes people can affordThe average home price is £144,000 (July 2026) in North Ayrshire council area. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities24.1% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with no qualifications ranged from 11.8% in Arran to 24.2% in Irvine West — a gap of 12.3 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 9 of 9 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |