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An award winning development
30.11.06
Only six months since its completion in June 2006, the £75 million Ayr Central shopping centre has already picked up two prestigious awards.
The first, a Retail Award for Excellence, organised by Property Executive magazine, saw Ayr Central short listed for ‘Commercial Development of the Year’ and then go on to be awarded the ‘Retail Award for Excellence.’ It is a significant achievement and speaks volumes about this unique retail development. When fully let Ayr Central, is expected to attract a further 200,000 consumers per week to Ayr, putting this retail experience in strong competition with shopping centres such as Braehead and East Kilbride.”
The second award was received when Ayr Central gained the ‘Safer Parking Scheme Award’ from the British Parking Association and Strathclyde Police.
The award was given because Ayr Central put in place Park Mark; a scheme run by the British Parking Association in conjunction with the Association of Chief Police Officers. The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that car parks meet defined standards to reduce crime and enhance safety, especially for lone female drivers. Recognising that Ayr Central has the largest commercial single level under ground car park in the UK, Henry Boot Developments – who led the project – were specific in their design brief to make the car park one of the safest in the UK. With vehicle crime accounting for up to 20% of all offences, it was vital the safety specifications were put in place and Stephanie Connelly, the centre manager for Ayr Central, places visitor safety as her number one priority. Stephanie has expressed the importance of an active management strategy to ensure customers feel safe when they visit Ayr Central, “We have made the car park as user friendly as possible, with bright colour coded parking zones, strong lighting and unobstructed sightlines. In turn this will make the whole shopping experience more enjoyable for customers.”
