The section of Bank Street between the High Street and East Road will be closed until the end of November.

The taxi rank will not be in use during this period and a temporary rank will be provided further east on Bank Street across from East Road.

North Ayrshire Council say the closure, which runs from Monday, September 9 until Friday, November 22, is necessary to protect the safety of road users and the construction team.

Buses in this section of Bank Street are already suspended and alternative arrangements have been put in place by the bus operators.

Council chiefs say they have been in contact with businesses operating in this area to coordinate an approach that ensures continuing pedestrian movement and limited local access for deliveries to commercial premises.

Councillor Alex Gallagher, Cabinet Member for Economy, said: “We are nearing the completion of the public realm works and we are working to a very tight schedule. With any development of this nature there is going to be disruption, but we have kept this to a minimum.

"The closure of this section of Bank Street was always planned and will allow the workforce to carry out their work safely. We have been speaking with businesses to ensure deliveries can still be made and have a temporary rank in place for taxi drivers. This will be clearly signed on the ground to enable users to access the temporary arrangements. 

“While we recognise there could be some disruption, we are sure it will be worth it in the long run.  We want to make Irvine town centre vibrant and attractive.  The process started with the transformation of the Bridgegate and the fantastic refurbishment of the Townhouse.  The opening of the Portal and the new facilities at Quarry Road have increased footfall and brought a new leisure offer to the town centre.

“The latest public realm works complete key sections of the town centre and bring it all up to an appropriate standard making the place attractive to businesses, residents and visitors.”

Public realm works started last summer and are expected to be complete at the end of this year. Concentrating on improving the roads and pavements, the project aims to respect the historic town centre environment while also providing attractive public realm areas.  This will complement the recent transformation of Bridgegate, Townhouse and Portal by creating a more attractive and accessible town centre.