We have enjoyed the pleasant sight of thousands of people visiting Largs to enjoy the Viking Festival and good weather.

However, this success cannot hide the fact that there continue to be areas in the town which have come in for criticism.

The News has regularly reported on the issues with the roads and parking in and around the town centre.

As well as this, there remains the perennial issue of empty sites and properties.

The News approached the council and Explore Largs to find out what is being done to improve sites like those in Bath Street, the old DHSS office site at the bottom of Seamore Street, and a cottage in Gallowgate Lane.

These locations have been in a bad condition for decades, with very little evidence of action having been taken to address the situation.

North Ayrshire Council told the News that there has been a long standing problem determining ownership of land at Bath Street.

We understand that the land - which has been used as an ad hoc car park for years - has a ‘jigsaw’ of title deeds, making it almost impossible to identify who owns the land there.

The former DHSS office closed its doors a number of years ago, initially moving to temporary accommodation at the rear of the site. The service eventually relocated to Saltcoats.

Planning permission was granted for offices and flats in 2008, but the permission has since elapsed.

Explore Largs said in a statement to the News that it is already in discussions with the council about a number of ‘unsightly’ empty buildings and land, but acknowledged that, like the council, it was limited in what it can do under Scots law.

The group said: “Explore Largs has a set business plan and budgets to market the town and increase visitor numbers for its clients, the BID levy payers.

“This budget includes the Explore Largs TV commercials, widespread promotional literature, events like Largs Live and the newly created Largs Food Fest and the Clean and Safe campaign.

“They also give grants for business improvements and training to enhance visitor experiences to Largs.

“Explore Largs welcomes debate on any issues concerning the town; and will work as an advocate with third parties, like North Ayrshire Council, to voice the concerns of the local business community.

“Explore Largs is currently engaged in dialogue with North Ayrshire Council to address the unsightly appearance of unoccupied premises and land within Largs.”