AN ENTERTAINER, actor and writer from Largs could be remembered by having a street in a new housing development named after him.

John Sessions, who was born in Largs in 1953, died aged 67 in November 2020.

As well as a panellist on TV comedy Whose Line Is It Anyway? in the 1980s and 90s, he has featured on QI and Have I Got News for You.

His TV appearances included Stella Street, which he wrote and performed alongside Phil Cornwell, and Just William, and film credits included The Gangs of New York, The Iron Lady and Mr Holmes.

Highly regarded in his field, John starred alongside many top actors including Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson and Liam Neeson in The Bounty in 1984.

He also provided some of the voices for the Spitting Image satire show.

The housing services of North Ayrshire Council has contacted the authority's planning department requesting a new street name for the development of 26 houses and flats on the site of the former St Mary’s Primary School, located off Linn Avenue.

Nine houses and eight flats will be located on the new street, with the remaining nine houses facing on to Linn Avenue and being numbered as part of the existing street.

Largs and Millport Weekly News: John Sessions John Sessions (Image: Newsquest)

The council has a statutory obligation to give a name to each new street built within the council area, and this name, along with street numbers, becomes the postal address.

Three other street addresses have also been offered as alternatives for the development - St Mary's Gardens, to commemorate the former school on the site, Burrell Place, and Braille Court.

Burrell Place would recall Sir William Burrell and his wife Constance, who hailed from Glasgow but are buried in Largs Cemetery as the town was a favourite holiday destination.

After the refurbishment of the Burrell Collection in Glasgow, the Burrell Trust replaced Sir William’s headstone in Largs Cemetery.

And Braille Court has also been suggested, with RNIB Scotland asking that Louis Braille be commemorated to mark the 200th anniversary of his development of the code for blind and visually impaired people.

RNIB Scotland says: “Braille continues to be a crucial tool, fostering inclusivity and equal opportunities for blind and partially sighted people worldwide.”

North Ayrshire Council's North Coast Locality Partnership agreed that schoolchildren at St Mary's Primary would be given a chance to vote on the new street name.