Property czar reveals Ayr United ‘superclub’ plans

Ayr United's Somerset Park. Gilmour's plans would see the club move to a new 10,000-seater stadium. Picture: Wiki Commons

Gilmour, 44, is in negotiations with Somerset Park chairman Lachlan Cameron, and has outlined a £45 million blueprint to take the struggling League One outfit to the top.

Among Gilmour’s proposed changes are a new 10,000-seater stadium; an entertainment village and housing development, creating up to 900 jobs and benefiting the local economy to the tune of more than £100 million.

The £10 million entertainment village has been earmarked for Ayr’s Heathfield area, which would be funded by a development of over 300 private and affordable homes on two sites.

Gilmour, managing director at social housing lenders Carduus, is keen to tie up 12 months of talks, and intends to move the Honest Men to their new stadium by 2018, earmarking the top six of the Scottish Premiership three years after.

But the club are currently languishing in the depths of League One, and sacked manager Mark Roberts earlier this week.

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Gilmour told the Daily Mail: “There is no reason why Ayr United should not be playing in the top half of the Premiership.

“Lachlan Cameron and I have spoken about the principle of me having majority ownership in Ayr United.”

Gilmour added that he wanted to pay Cameron ‘a fair price’ adding: “Lachlan is a good guy, he wants Ayr to succeed ... at the end of the process I want to control an Ayr United with no debt.

“If I succeed I would like to see a new stadium built in three years. Ayr United need to be an intrinsic part of the community.”

Gilmour explained that he had tasked architects with costing a new stadium and housing development, and added: “The one thing I firmly believe is that every single person who wants to be involved in delivering Premiership football for Ayr United is already at the club.

“It’s hard work. Anybody at the club, in the academy or the staff, who wants to put the effort in can be in the Premiership.”

Lachlan Cameron was contacted by the Daily Mail, and confirmed negotiations with Gilmour, saying: “I have spoken to Brian, but there is really nothing to report on it. There is nothing to talk about.”

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