Dean Castle Country Park is a jewel in East Ayrshire's crown. The grounds associated with the Castle were gifted to the people of Kilmarnock in 1975 and Kilmarnock and Loudoun District Council bought additional land in Assloss Estate to create Scotland’s 14^th Country Park. The Country Park is managed by us and is well used and cherished by local residents and visitors alike.

Through the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Parks for People Project, we have developed the core visitor areas of the Country Park, followed by the refurbishment and modernisation of the Castle. The Castle project was also funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.  Looking ahead,we are keen to identify the next stages of the Country Park’s masterplan, with a particular focus on improving the visitor experience across the whole site, particularly the area associated with the Urban Farm.

 As part of this work, we have appointed Alan Jones Associates – a Scottish based strategic leisure consultancy to engage the community and investigate options for investing in facilities, services and infrastructure in the Assloss and Kennedy Drive areas of the Country Park. 

It is hoped that the work will build on the existing range of leisure, education, environmental and heritage offers, ensuring that Dean Castle Country Park remains key to providing a space for health, biodiversity, leisure and learning in South West Scotland.

The Consultant Team are looking to engage widely and seek the views of as many members of the community, local residents and visitors as possible. As part of this engagement, an online survey has been developed and Alan Jones Associates will also be conducting face to face engagement, as well as working directly with key user groups and stakeholders.

Please take a moment to complete our survey and give us your feedback. The survey will close on the 7th July