Plans for a development of eight new homes in Drongan have been given the green light by officials.

Matthew O'Neill submitted the proposals to East Ayrshire Council for the new properties on Littlemill Road, near Mill of Shield Road and Coal Road.

Approval means that more than 80 new homes will soon be built in the village, following a 75-home development being given approval last year.

75 new homes will be built on a site at Water of Coyle, off Truesdale Crescent, on the south-western edge of the village.

The latest development, which was approved by East Ayrshire Council (EAC) officials last week, will feature a mixture of detached and semi-detached three-bedroom homes.

Additional parking spaces will also be included.

The land was previously used as a parking area for The Welcome Inn bar that once stood on Littlemill Road.

No official objections were lodged against the plans on the EAC planning portal.

However, some locals did raise concerns about the plans for the development when they were reported towards the end of 2023.

They raised concern at the prospect of 80 new homes without the appropriate services to deal with the larger number of people living in the village.

One resident said: "It's all well and good building more houses and bringing more people to Drongan, but can we really deal with probably around 200 more people here?

"People already struggle for a doctor's appointment, and there's nowhere really for the kids to go at night, so I don't really see how this will benefit the village.

"If more houses are being built, there surely has to be some kind of commitment to expand other parts of Drongan to cope."