Bryant Homes' Southcraigs Meadow development on the outskirts of Kilmarnock is attracting attention, particularly from housebuyers relocating from down South. Used to travelling long distances to get to work, they can't believe that Glasgow, for instance, is 30 minutes away via the M77. Three and four-bedroom, detached properties make up the Southcraigs Meadow site with the 111 homes priced from #82,000 to #127,000. That includes en suite and downstairs cloakroom, set in a landscaped development with the houses positioned for maximum privacy. What's more, the beaches and bracing air of seaside Troon are only seven miles away.

A new range of properties at Persimmon Homes' Mains View development in Saltcoats has been making waves along what is one of the most picturesque coastlines in Scotland. The Diamond collection represents a new look exterior featuring leaded-style windows, detailed brickwork, timber features, and colonial entrance porches. The four-bedroom Ash has attracted interest and includes a dining kitchen and separate dining room with patio doors leading to the rear garden. There's a ground-floor cloakroom, family bathroom and en suite plus integral garage. Priced from #74,995 the properties are not exclusively the domain of families. Retired couples often look at a larger property to accommodate visiting relatives while for young executives a second or third bedroom can easily become a gymnasium, a dressing room or a home office. First-time buyers may also like to take advantage of Persimmon's two-bedroom

terrace Shipton or semi-detached Argyll priced from #53,995 and #55,995 respectively. A range of home-buying options are available on both properties including a low-rate, subsidised mortgage deal to help make the first move as trouble-free as possible. Within walking distance of the sea, Mains View enjoys an outlook across the water to the island of Arran and a ferry from nearby Ardrossan will take visitors there in just under an hour.

McLean Homes West Scotland has launched its latest range of house styles - the Classic collection - at The Paddocks development in Kilmarnock. The collection comprises six house styles (all named after famous English authors), the majority of which have four bedrooms, an en suite, separate dining room, downstairs toilet and a breakfasting area in the kitchen. The Wordsworth has an additional family room and prices start at #87,500, although the Eliot, the only three-bedroom villa in the new range, starts at less. The exteriors of the new collection have a striking appearance with attractive tiled roofs and new shades of brickwork and panelling. This more decorative style has been continued inside with galleries on upstairs landings and feature alcoves.

Situated off the old Glasgow Road in

Kilmarnock, minutes from the M77, The Paddocks where the Chaucer and Byron showhomes can be visited, will comprise 81 houses in total and will also feature a fully equipped children's play area.

McLean decided to develop the new collection to meet the expectations of existing customers who want to stay with the com-pany as they move up the housing market.

Lynch Homes has just released two new sites in Ayrshire.

Within Ayr itself, the local builder has just released a new prime site of 33 luxury homes located in the Castlehill area. The site is set to be a flagship development for Lynch Homes, being one of its most prestigious to date.

It is a visually pleasing site, located within what is locally known as The Walled Garden. (The name was felt to be so apt that the builders have used this as the official name of the site). The new development will offer solely four and five-bedroom detached villas and will feature the largest house types Lynch Homes currently offers. Included within this will be the brand new three-floor house types.

The four-bedroom showhome, which is due to be open soon, will be one of the new house types available - the Glenmuir. Within this detached villa, every one of the four bedrooms is extremely good sized double rooms with the third bedroom alone measuring more than 18ft x 18ft. The master bedroom as you would expect features an en suite shower room. Downstairs, the spacious layout continues with 20ft x 12.6ft living room, separate dining room, family room, breakfast room with patio doors overlooking the rear garden, downstairs toilet and cloakroom, fully fitted modern kitchen and separate utility room off. The integrated double garage completes the offering.

Prices for the luxury homes at Castlehill start from #136,500.

A few minutes down the road from Ayr, the new Highpark development in the scenic village of Coylton offers a wide choice of luxury family homes including three and four-bedroom bungalows and three to six-bedroom villas. Again, all the homes are detached.

Coylton itself offers the rolling Ayrshire countryside with local amenities- a medical centre, new sports and leisure centre with indoor and outdoor facilities including three floodlit tennis courts, a bowling green, 18-hole, par-three golf course, a primary school and local transport facilities. Ayr itself and the motorway links into Glasgow are minutes away by car, the train station is five minutes away in Ayr with services to Glasgow running every 30 minutes and the local bus service into Ayr runs every 20 minutes.

The new Highpark development is set further back across some fields from the established Barngore site (also by Lynch Homes). Highpark, named after one of the farms which used to be on site, offers bungalows as well as villas. ''Bungalows have always been popular,'' says Lorraine, sales negotiator at Coylton, ''As you would expect older couples favour them as they are so easy to live in and maintain with everything being on one floor but we also find younger families are attra-cted to these house types. Bungalows are very economical to run and offer as much spaciousness as villas. At Coylton we have three and four-bedroom detached bungalows, some of which feature en suite bathrooms, separate dining rooms and utility rooms.'' At Highpark Bungalows start from #72,200 and villas from #83,200.

Further information on The Walled Garden site in Ayr from Marie on 01292 270437. For information on Highpark in Coylton call Lorraine on 01292 570887.

All properties at Mactaggart & Mickel sites at Barassie Links in Troon and Castle View near Ayr have now been sold. But the company will soon be building at Ardrossan where a sales cabin is due to open on

October 21. The new Montfode development will comprise 28 houses including two and three-bedroom, semi-detached villas, two and three-bedroom bungalows, and four-bedroom, detached cottages, with a showhome ready to be inspected in February 2000.

Gauld Homes is offering modern flats with private parking and secure entry in the heart of the Ayrshire countryside, priced from #46,995. The apartment building at Rigg Wynd is in the centre of Stewarton, East Ayrshire's largest burgh. The two-bedroom flats are situated across the street from the railway station (30 minutes into Glasgow) and a Safeway supermarket, and close to Stewarton's main street. The fitted kitchens come complete with a washer/dryer and the bathrooms feature classic white suites.

The Rigg Wynd development, where a showflat has recently opened, is proving

particularly attractive to retired people and professionals.

n Cluttons Daniel Smith's Ayr Office is marketing White Row Farm, a delightfully secluded property tucked away in the South Ayrshire hills with a fine cottage, land and salmon fishings.

A private property in a fine setting, the cottage at White Row has been fully renovated with two bedrooms, living room, fully fitted kitchen and two further attic bedrooms. There are useful outbuildings including a utility room, garage and boat shed, about 72 acres of grazings and paddocks, duck pond, woodland and half-a-mile of double bank salmon fishing.

Ayr is about 20 miles from the property while Prestwick Airport, with regular flights to London Stansted, is 27 miles away.

A well-renovated property like White Row is unusual and Cluttons anticipate considerable interest. Offers over #150,000

n Donald Ross, Estate Agents has moved from its former premises in Cathcart Street to 11 Beresford Terrace - the most prominent site on Ayr's ''property corner''.

The new offices, personally designed by Donald Ross, are different from ordinary estate agents' premises. They are constructed, furnished and decorated to a modern standard with bespoke maple wood and steel range of B4 Morris furniture.

A considerable capital investment has been made to ensure the properties are displayed and advertised to the best advantage.

The offices use information technology and the Internet to give properties worldwide coverage.

Ross said: ''Good homes demand first-class personal service backed up by experience and professional content. Nowadays people's expectations are high - after all many people choose designer clothing, for example, and like to visit shops which are equally well designed.

''That is why, looking towards the year 2000, we have created the new designer estate agency to allow clients to carry out their transactions in surroundings which reflect the quality of our service - and also the quality of the properties we have on display.''