Planned spending of £9m on East Ayrshire's Infinity Loop has been pushed back as the council reshapes its capital budgets. The major active travel project in Kilmarnock faces continuing uncertainty after applications for construction funding proved unsuccessful.
The Infinity Loop is a proposed 26km network of walking, wheeling and cycling routes designed to improve connections across the town. The project would create a figure-of-eight network of paths linking residential communities, schools, businesses, leisure facilities and the town centre. It aims to provide safer routes for pedestrians and cyclists, encourage more sustainable travel and reduce traffic congestion.
Budget moved to future years
East Ayrshire Council has reduced its planned expenditure on the Infinity Loop during 2026/27 from £9.5m to just £268k, moving more than £9.2m to future financial years. Although funding has been secured for additional design work, the council has so far been unable to obtain the financial support required to construct parts of the planned network.
The report states that the Ayrshire Roads Alliance has secured funding to complete detailed design work on Route 1A, north of the viaduct, and the whole of Route 2. However, applications for construction funding have been unsuccessful. The authority intends to submit further applications during the 2027/28 financial year.
Route 3 design progress
Funding has also been secured to progress Route 3 to the next stage of design development, with further applications expected to support the preparation of detailed construction proposals.
The Infinity Loop is listed in the council's capital programme with a total project budget of £18m. At the end of September 2026, a total of £1.3m has been spent against that budget. The current-year spending forecast is now £268k, compared with the previous allocation of £9.5m. That change represents a reduction of approximately 97 percent in the amount forecast to be spent during 2026/27.
Cabinet concerns and Foregate Square
The issue was also discussed at Cabinet, where Councillor Barry Douglas questioned the progress of the Infinity Loop and raised concerns about uncertainty surrounding future funding arrangements. He suggested the project risked becoming an "infinity cul de sac". He asked if the potential implications of changes involving Transport Scotland and whether these could affect the delivery of the scheme. Senior officers acknowledged the uncertainties and discussed the need to keep members informed about the status of funding and future development.
The council's capital report also provides an update on Foregate Square. It states that a contract is expected to be awarded following formal approval, with construction work anticipated to begin in January 2027. That element is progressing on a separate timetable from sections of the wider Infinity Loop that are still dependent on funding.
The authority's wider capital programme has also been revised, with General Fund expenditure for 2026/27 reduced from £98.5m to £69.2m. Officials say this reprofiling is necessary to align capital allocations with actual and forecast project timetables. The Infinity Loop accounts for the largest single reduction listed in the council's table of projects whose expenditure is being moved into future financial years.
