WORK on major new office space in Irvine is on course to be completed next summer, according to the leader of North Ayrshire Council.

Ground was broken last month to mark the start of construction work on the 'flexible office space' development at the i3 site on the eastern edge of the town.

The development will feature an industrial unit of 18,000 square feet and related yard space.

Council leader Marie Burns updated her colleagues on progress during a full meeting of North Ayrshire Council on December 13.

She said: "The work will be delivered by Muir Construction Ltd and is scheduled for completion by August 2024.

"This will be the first phase of the i3 advanced manufacturing flexible space programme that’s being supported by £15 million of funding through the Ayrshire Growth Deal, with £11m from the Scottish Government and £4m from North Ayrshire Council.

“The project seeks to provide flexible modern business space for local companies looking to expand and grow or for inward investment opportunities, and will complement the council’s other Ayrshire Growth Deal project at i3 – the Digital Process Manufacturing Centre (DPMC), in partnership with the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) and the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI).”

John Lamont MP, from the Scotland Office at Westminster, visited the i3 site on a tour of North Ayrshire last summer to see how the UK Government's £5m investment in the project is being put to use.