WHEN Irvine Development Corporation drew up its New Town Plan in 1971, it wrote: "The over-riding objective is to build a town where people can lead happy, healthy lives with every opportunity for fulfilment of their diverse ambitions.

"This means good homes and good jobs, in pleasant surroundings, with opportunities for learning, profit and pleasure for people of all ages, tastes and social backgrounds.

"Enterprise and initiative must be encouraged if Irvine New Town is to be a profitable place in which to invest, and a pleasure to live in or visit."

Today, as the corporation prepares to wind-up its activities at the end of the year, it can look back with some pride on how it achieved that objective.

The Corporation can point to more than 6000 homes it has built for rental and almost 3000 private houses it has promoted. It can point to more than 308,000 square metres of new factory space, around 55,000 square metres of new shops, 13 new primary schools and one secondary, six new community halls and an incredible 42 new parks and play areas.

Statistics, though, do not tell the whole story. As reflected in that initial objective, Irvine Development Corporation has always seen quality of life as the most important factor in the development of a community.

Irvine became the fifth and last of Scotland's new towns when it was designated in 1966, but in many ways it was a first. Unlike other Scottish new towns, which had been largely greenfield sites before designation, Irvine already had a substantial population of 34,600.

Its coastal location makes it unique among Britain's new towns and the histories of the burghs of Kilwinning and Irvine which form its core, stretch back 1000 years.

Jack Murdoch, the current managing director of Irvine Development Corporation, was one of the first officials recruited and he has been involved at every step of the town's transformation from an ailing industrial area into a thriving modern community.

Jack recalls: "We were of the view that if we were going to integrate the old and the new to create a single coherent community, we would need to blend any new development with the existing fabric of the town and encourage the historical traditions and culture which were such an important part of the life of the existing community. This presented more problems than creating something from scratch, but it is a challenge we have enjoyed."

That policy of blending the old with the new has led to Irvine being physically developed in a way that belies the usual picture conjured up by the words new town.

One of the earliest corporation developments to change the shape of Irvine was the building of one of Britain's first indoor shopping malls. Alongside this modern development, the corporation took steps to help save one of the most historic buildings in the centre of Irvine, Trinity Church, an outstanding example of Victorian church architecture.

Following its closure as a place of worship, the building suffered the effects of neglect and vandalism. It was saved from likely demolition when the Corporation stepped in to upgrade it and it has become a valuable community asset, as a multi-use activity hall in the centre of the town.

Offices and shops were added in Bridgegate and the modern centre of Irvine was formed. During all this activity in the early seventies, an opportunity was identified to remove traffic congestion from the town centre.

Jack Murdoch explained: "The traffic congestion at Irvine Cross was really bad. If it had not been tackled it would have become impossible with today's traffic."

In 1983, corporation studies identified a number of gap sites in Irvine and Kilwinning, and a series of schemes was set up to fill these sites with new house, office and shop developments in styles sympathetic to the existing appearance of the areas around them.

A good example of blending the old and new elements of Irvine is Heathfield House. The listed building and its grounds were used to provide single-storey sheltered housing for the elderly and a central office for the voluntary group, Irvine Cancer Care. In tandem with its scheme to enhance Irvine's environment by siting well-designed new buildings alongside attractive traditional buildings, the Corporation has carried out a number of major restoration projects to protect Irvine's historic character.

Among these projects was the ambitious scheme to restore Glasgow Vennel to reflect how it would have looked when Robert Burns lived and worked there in 1781.

As well as its Burns connection, the street was an important one in Irvine's history because it had formed a vital part of the route from Irvine Harbour to Glasgow, in the days when Irvine was one of the most important trading ports in Scotland.

Jack Murdoch said: "The Corporation's chief architect, Ian Downs, persuaded the district council to enter into joint arrangements and private owners of property in the area responded well to support the project. The whole street was transformed and was recognised with a coveted Europa Nostra Award."