A local councillor admitted this week that he wanted to "Save Our Seafront" more than he wanted to "Save Moorburn" - after voting for the historic Largs property to be sold to a private bidder once more.

Labour member Alex Gallagher said this in spite of a public petition gaining 3000 signatures in just one week - a quarter of the population of Largs. He joined other councillors on North Ayrshire Council"s Scrutiny Committee who voted against a last ditch bid to re-examine the proposed sale of the historic building on Monday.

NAC now look certain to press ahead with their original agreement to sell the B-listed property for �360,000, allowing an Aberdeen-based businessman to convert it into a solitary family home.

It is a bitter blow for the Largs Initiative and Cunninghame Housing Association who had offered �375,000 in the hope of retaining the building for offices, while proposing the construction of 12 social rented flats at the north end of Moorburn and a car park in the seafront gardens.

Long-term Moorburn campaigner and local Conservative Councillor Elisabethe Marshall later told the "News" that she was 'absolutely disgusted' at the decision.

However, Largs Labour"s Alex Gallagher stated that he did not want to set a precedent for seafront development by approving the community plan.

Mr Gallagher said he believed that if a car park was built then there would be 'no defence' against other similar proposals in future, adding: 'I would not like to be the person who turns around in 10 years" time and said it was me that opened the floodgates.' He added that, 'for anyone who really cares about what is happening in Largs' it would not be a case of "Save Moorburn", 'but in 15 or 20 years, "Save Our Seafront" is what I would say.' Mr Gallagher continued: 'There"s a campaign to save Moorburn, but Moorburn is not under threat - it"s going to be improved.