The best laid schemes

HAVE you heard of the Year of the Homecoming? Probably not unless you are a member of a Burns Club or Community Council or Association.

It is the big celebration planned for next year to draw millions of exiled Scots `back home` for a holiday. It is based on five main themes - Burns, Golf, Whisky, the Enlightenment and Innovation. And of course South Ayrshire is ripe to take full advantage of two of these - Burns and Golf. And by luck rather than design the same year sees the British Open coming to Turnberry - a gift horse if ever there was one!

So you would think that we would be well ahead with our plans to take advantage of this one-off event backed by the Scottish Government. Think again.

Those with memories of 1996 when what should have been a world-wide celebration of the 200 anniversay of Burns death turned into a shambolic fiasco, must be shuddering as they think `here we go again`.

But with a lot of luck, victory as they say, can be snatched from the jaws of defeat and we will make a better job of celebrating the 250th anniversary of the poet`s birth.

Event Scotland have been brought in at the last gasp - applications for available government funding have to be in by February 26 - to organise things and having attended a presentation last week they certainly talk the talk - let`s hope their abilities match their aspirations.

South Ayrshire Council, I am glad to say, is also getting its act together and there are talks about having a major event to launch the Homecoming Year at Alloway on January 25. Spring will see the Burns an` a` that festival and July, of course, The Open.

And as well as the big themed events there are hopes that organsiations, clubs and even individuals will come forward with their ideas to help fill a year`s programme of celebration for the visitors we hope will come. Maybole is already well ahead with plans for an event following the brilliant success of last year`s celebration of the wedding of Burns parents at Maybole.

As I said, Allowway should be the centre of the opening event - and probably will be - but there is one small snag . . . the prestigious new £17million Burns museum and visitor centre planned for Alloway won`t be open in time - in fact there will probably be a building site there, with work not scheduled to finish until 2010. As usual it seems we were at the coo`s tale. The National Trust for Scotland who are taking over responsibility for the cottage and heritage park failed to get their submission for funds in to the Heritage Lottery Fund on the preferred date - talk about the best laid schemes - which would have allowed the centre with a bit of an effort, to be open by the November, a stylish and appropriate end to the Homecoming Year The bid is going in three months late which has pushed the completion date well into the following year - assuming we get the £6million, which is not guaranteed. But let`s not dwell on that.

Unfortunately plans for Burns Cottage also look as if they may not be completed in time and a make-do option is being prepared.

Why am I not surprised? Disappointed certainly but not surprised.

ALL aspects of being a councillor have their fascinating side but I think the planning committee - or Regulatory Panel as it is now called - is one of the more interesting. And this year we could be making decisions that will have a major impact on South Ayrshire.

We`ve already approved a massive 600-house development for East Troon, the new Girvan hospital, and a new university campus at Ayr has received outline planning approval.

And this week saw the transfer of land valued at £4m from South Ayrshire Council to the Univerity of the West of Scotland allow their plans for the new multi-million campus to go ahead. It was a decision not taken easily for although talks have been going on for three years, the university plan was new to we new councillors and the land transer had cost implications - we were giving it to the university for free, but the Archive Centre, which is housed on the site at Craigie, would need to be transferred to another building.

Initially were were being asked to meet the cost of renting the new premises but following a decision of the full council last week to agree in principal to the land transfer - the Archive Centre relocation will be re-negotiated. We are hoping to be paying a peppercorn rent or even better, no rent at all, for the new site, which will probably be at Auchincruive.

The university hope to start work on the site on August - the present Criaige campus buildings are well past theri sell-by-date - but full planning consent has still to be given. Also coming before the Regulatory Panel in the near future are the new football stadium plan for Ayr United and a hotel, house and golf course grand plan for Auchincruive Estate.

As I said - interesting times for South Ayrshire and the Regulatory Panel members.