HALO Urban Regeneration

HALO Urban Regeneration is a Scottish business-innovation, urban-regeneration and start-up-support organisation based in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire. It was established in 2006 by entrepreneur Marie Macklin CBE, initially as HALO Urban Regeneration Company Ltd., to develop a large-scale regeneration project on and around the former Johnnie Walker production and bottling site in the town. The initiative combines physical redevelopment with enterprise support, education, employability programmes and technology-focused economic development. The project emerged against the background of the closure of Diageo’s Johnnie Walker facility in Kilmarnock. The closure threatened a major industrial site with substantial historical and economic importance to the town. Macklin, who had already worked on the restoration of derelict buildings in Kilmarnock town centre, proposed an innovation hub that could provide offices, business support and new opportunities for start-ups and growing companies. Diageo subsequently transferred land associated with the former site for a nominal sum and committed funding toward planning, design and the long-term sustainability of the redevelopment. The principal HALO development is a mixed-use building on Hill Street. The project has been described as a brownfield regeneration scheme costing approximately £63 million, with wider estimates placing development costs at about £65 million. The four-storey building combines office and enterprise space with dark brickwork, extensive curtain-wall glazing, a perforated aluminium roof screen and a prominent circular LED feature. Its first phase, the HALO Enterprise and Innovation Hub, was completed in 2021 and opened in 2022 after construction was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. HALO’s business model extends beyond property development. The organisation positions its facilities as a platform for entrepreneurship, digital skills, cyber technology, business resilience and youth employment. Its partnerships have included East Ayrshire Council, the Scottish and UK governments, Diageo, ScottishPower, CGI, Onecom, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre, Barclays, PRA Group and Ayrshire College. ScottishPower became a principal partner through a reported five-year programme focused on the utility sector’s future, digital and cyber capabilities, and training infrastructure. Barclays has supported employability and entrepreneurship initiatives through LifeSkills and its Thriving Local Economies programme. Education and workforce development are central to the project. HALO works with Ayrshire College, whose neighbouring campus occupies part of the former industrial site, to connect students with practical training and employers. A construction-focused National Progression Award was developed in 2020 with Ayrshire College and Morrison Construction, enabling students to gain work-placement experience during the building programme. The wider objective is to help create a skilled workforce for Kilmarnock and Ayrshire while reducing barriers to employment and supporting new businesses. The completed and planned development has been associated with an ambition to generate more than 1,500 jobs and contribute approximately £205 million to Scotland’s economy. Future phases described for the Kilmarnock site include live-work units, leisure facilities, a nursery and more than 200 homes. HALO has also discussed potential projects in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, although definitive completion dates for those proposed expansions have not been established in the available reference material. As a result, HALO is best understood as both a place-based regeneration project and an operating brand for a broader model of inclusive economic development.

HALO Urban Regeneration was founded in 2006 by Marie Macklin CBE as a vehicle for urban renewal and enterprise development in Kilmarnock. Its origins lie in the decline of the former Johnnie Walker industrial complex, a site associated with Kilmarnock’s whisky-making history. Diageo’s decision to close the bottling and production facility created a substantial brownfield redevelopment challenge and removed a significant local source of employment. Following the closure announcement, Diageo sought proposals for the future of its Hill Street property. Macklin, then associated with The KLIN Group and already involved in restoring underused buildings in Kilmarnock, advanced a proposal for an innovation-led development. The concept was intended to replace an obsolete industrial use with offices, start-up support, training, technology facilities and wider regeneration activity. Diageo transferred land connected with the former site for a nominal price and agreed to provide support for planning, design and the site’s longer-term sustainability. The redevelopment became part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal, a joint economic-development arrangement involving the Scottish Government, UK Government and the three Ayrshire councils. Public investment helped establish the financial and planning basis for the scheme. A further Scottish Government commitment announced in 2017 included funding for the HALO project and an element intended to support lower-carbon development. East Ayrshire Council granted planning permission in 2018. Morrison Construction was appointed main contractor in September 2019. Construction was initially expected to finish in early 2021, but work was disrupted by restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first phase was completed in July 2021 and opened in March 2022. The resulting building is a four-storey mixed-use structure designed around enterprise and innovation functions. Its architectural identity uses dark brick, curtain-wall glazing and a perforated aluminium screen, with a circular LED dome providing a visible nighttime landmark. HALO’s operating programme developed alongside the building. The organisation formed partnerships with public bodies, utilities, technology firms, financial institutions, resilience organisations and education providers. ScottishPower became a principal partner and sponsor through a reported five-year programme concerned with the future of utilities, digital innovation and cyber skills. Barclays supported employability work through LifeSkills and collaborated with HALO on local-economy initiatives intended to help unemployed people, entrepreneurs and scaling businesses. Other named partners include CGI, Onecom, PRA Group and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre. Ayrshire College became an important education partner because its campus occupies neighbouring land from the former industrial site. The partnership is intended to connect students with practical experience and create qualifications relevant to construction, digital skills, design and social care. In 2020, HALO, Ayrshire College and Morrison Construction collaborated on a National Progression Award that included opportunities for students to undertake placements during construction. The project’s stated economic ambitions include supporting more than 1,500 jobs and generating approximately £205 million for Scotland’s economy. Planned later phases have included live-work units, leisure uses, a nursery and more than 200 homes. HALO has also described possible projects in Northern Ireland, England and Wales, but the available material does not establish firm delivery dates for those proposed locations. The organisation therefore represents an evolving regeneration model whose first major built expression is the Kilmarnock hub.

• 2022

  Kilmarnock hub opens

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  The first phase of the HALO complex opened to support enterprise, innovation and regeneration activity.

• 2021

  First phase completed

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  The HALO Enterprise and Innovation Hub, the first phase of the development, was completed after pandemic-related delays.

• 2020

  Construction education qualification created

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  HALO, Ayrshire College and Morrison Construction collaborated on a National Progression Award connected with construction training and site placements.

• 2019

  Morrison Construction appointed

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  Morrison Construction became the main contractor for the Kilmarnock complex.

• 2018

  Planning permission approved

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  East Ayrshire Council granted planning permission for construction of the HALO development.

• 2017

  Scottish Government announces HALO investment

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  The Scottish Government announced funding support for the project, including an element intended to address low-carbon development.

• 2012

  Former Johnnie Walker site transferred for redevelopment

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  Diageo donated land associated with the former industrial site to support regeneration, while Ayrshire College received adjoining land for a new campus.

• 2006

  HALO Urban Regeneration established

  [1]HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org

  Marie Macklin CBE founded HALO Urban Regeneration to pursue innovation-led regeneration and enterprise development in Kilmarnock.

A place-based regeneration and innovation platform that links brownfield redevelopment with entrepreneurship, digital capability, education, employability and inclusive local economic growth.

• Business-innovation facility · 2022

  HALO Enterprise and Innovation Hub

  The first operational phase of HALO’s Kilmarnock development is a four-storey mixed-use facility providing enterprise, office and innovation space. It is intended to accommodate start-ups, growing businesses, training activity and collaboration between companies, public agencies and education providers. The building’s design includes dark brick, curtain-wall glazing, a perforated aluminium roof screen and a circular LED feature that gives the site a distinctive civic presence.

• Digital-skills and technology facility

  Digital and Cyber Zone

  The Digital and Cyber Zone is a planned and partnership-supported element of HALO’s innovation model. Developed with a focus on digital capability, cyber training and the future of utility infrastructure, it is intended to connect employers, learners and technology businesses. ScottishPower’s partnership has been associated with the ambition to make the facility a focal point for skills and innovation linked to the fourth industrial revolution.

• Business-support service

  Employability and start-up support programmes

  HALO provides or coordinates programmes designed to help people access employment, education and digital resources while supporting entrepreneurs and scaling businesses. Its partnership with Barclays has included LifeSkills activity, efforts to reduce barriers to work and support for businesses seeking growth. The programmes form part of HALO’s wider attempt to combine physical regeneration with inclusive local economic development.

• Property development

  Planned mixed-use regeneration phases

  Later phases described for the Kilmarnock site include live-work units, leisure facilities, a nursery and more than 200 homes. These elements are intended to extend HALO beyond a business hub into a mixed-use district with employment, residential, community and lifestyle functions. The available reference material does not confirm completion dates or the final delivery status of these components.

• 2019Thriving Local Economies

  Kilmarnock · Ayrshire · United Kingdom

  HALO partnered with Barclays on the bank’s first Thriving Local Economies initiative in Kilmarnock. The programme focused on employability, entrepreneurship, local connectivity and support for businesses seeking to start or expand.

  Outcome. The initiative expanded HALO’s employability and enterprise role and linked the regeneration project with a broader local-economic programme.

  Source
• Utility of the Future partnership

  Scotland

  ScottishPower’s partnership and sponsorship programme supports HALO’s focus on future utility systems, digital capability and cyber skills. The initiative is connected with the proposed Digital and Cyber Zone and with training activity for the emerging technology economy.

  Outcome. The partnership established ScottishPower as a principal HALO partner and strengthened the project’s positioning around energy, technology and workforce skills.

  Source

• 2020

  Deepen the education and workforce-development modelStrategy

  Background

  HALO’s objectives included creating a skilled local workforce and connecting regeneration with practical education.

  Action taken

  HALO worked with Ayrshire College and Morrison Construction to establish a National Progression Award and provide construction-related work-placement opportunities.

  Aftermath

  The partnership strengthened the link between the new development, vocational education and employment pathways in Ayrshire.

  Source

• 2019

  Appoint Morrison Construction as main contractorOther

  Background

  Following planning approval and public and private funding commitments, HALO moved from project development into construction.

  Action taken

  Morrison Construction was appointed to deliver the principal Kilmarnock complex.

  Aftermath

  The works were delayed by the COVID-19 shutdown of construction in Scotland, but the first phase was subsequently completed and opened.

  Source

• 2018

  Proceed with the Kilmarnock brownfield regeneration projectStrategy

  Background

  The closure of the former Johnnie Walker facility left a major industrial site requiring a new economic purpose. HALO proposed an innovation and enterprise-led redevelopment rather than a single-use replacement.

  Action taken

  The project secured planning permission and proceeded toward construction of a mixed-use enterprise hub supported by public-sector and private-sector partners.

  Aftermath

  The first phase became the HALO Enterprise and Innovation Hub, while further residential, leisure, nursery and live-work phases remained part of the longer-term plan.

  Estimated development cost. Approximately £63 million to £65 million (Project estimates reported during the development period)

  Source

1. 1HALO Urban Regenerationen.wikipedia.org