There's just a week to go before work begins at the new £45M William McIlvanney campus at Sutherland Drive, Kilmarnock, named in honour of the world-renowned authour who was born and educated in the town.

 The Campus will be provided by East Ayrshire Council through the Scottish Government’s Scotland’s Schools for the future programme.

This will be delivered through the Scottish Futures Trust’s hub programme by Hub South West, with construction work being undertaken by Kier Construction.

The William McIlvanney Campus will host the new James Hamilton Primary School and Early Childhood Centre, with Kilmarnock Academy and James Hamilton Academy also transferring and merging to a new Kilmarnock Academy.

A third new school, Sgoil na Coille Nuaidhe, offering Gaelic language provision will replace the Gaelic Medium Education provision currently offered at Onthank Primary School and Grange Academy.

Marking the start of the countdown, Councillor Douglas Reid, Leader of East Ayrshire Council welcomed MPs, MSPs, local elected members, officers from the Scottish Government and Council, pupils, teachers and contractors to the site.

He said: “This significant and ambitious investment is great news for the young people and communities of Kilmarnock and is a great legacy for future generations.

“It will give our young people the best possible start in life and this new campus will ensure they have access to the kind of facilities and learning environments they need to succeed in school, work and in life.

“William McIlvanney was passionate about the provision of good education for young people and, in just a week, work will begin to transform education provision in Kilmarnock and create an enduring legacy in his name.

“I’m certain Willie would have been delighted with what is being built and this fantastic campus will be fitting tribute to the man, his life and his work."

Michael McBearty, Chief Executive of developer hub South West added:

“This is a fantastic milestone for the William McIlvanney Campus, and hub South West are thrilled to be a part of it.

“We are proud that local people benefit from the projects we are involved in and we look forward to working with East Ayrshire Council, Kier Construction and contractors from the surrounding area to deliver this excellent, state-of-the-art community facility.”

Brian McQuade, managing director of Kier Construction's Scotland and North-East England business said;

“Educational projects form a significant part of our commercial operations. We are not only pleased to be part of today’s event alongside East Ayrshire Council, but also delighted to be undertaking further work with hub South West on what will be a leading educational facility for the people of Ayrshire, set to benefit future generations for years to come.

“We remain committed to providing opportunities for local contractors, suppliers and workers on activity across the UK, and this site will be no different."

David MacDonald, hub Programme Director at the Scottish Futures Trust, explained:

“The hub programme is an innovative approach to develop and deliver best-value community facilities which provides public bodies with a quick, efficient and value for money way of getting their projects into construction and helps secure and sustain local employment."

“I very much look forward to seeing construction start on the William McIllvanney Campus very shortly and to seeing pupils being taught in modern, first-class facilities.”

Work is set for completion in 2018.