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Doonfoot is a suburb in the south-west ofAyr,South Ayrshire.
The area known as Doonfoot was incorporated as part of the town of Ayr when the former Burgh of Ayr's boundaries were expanded in 1935 to take in the former villages of Alloway and Whitletts.
In World War II, Greenan Road in Doonfoot was the location[1] ofCamp 14 for Axis prisoners-of-war. On 15 December 1944, 97 Italians escaped through a tunnel in the biggest breakout in UK history. They were all recaptured within a week.[2]
In 2008 there were many new houses built in Doonfoot, expanding the population substantially.
Since 1997 the area south of the Slaphouse Burn had been part of theCarrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley parliamentary constituency as opposed to theAyr constituency. This also applied in the suburb ofAlloway. Boundaries forUK Parliament constituencies were changed again in 2005, and Doonfoot wasreunited with Ayr, but the division persisted in theScottish Parliament. This was unpopular locally, and formerMember of ParliamentPhil Gallie challenged this in court by way of ajudicial review but this was unsuccessful.
It was not until the first periodic review of Scottish parliamentary boundaries prior to the2011 Scottish Parliament election that Doonfoot and Alloway were transferred back to theAyr constituency along withForehill, Masonhill andKincaidston. This now forms part of the current political boundaries of the Ayr constituency which encompasses the electoral wards of Troon, Prestwick, Ayr North, Ayr East and Ayr West. At the same time, the electoral ward of Kyle was transferred from the former Ayr constituency to Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley.
At the 2003South Ayrshire Council election the Doonfoot and Seafield electoral ward returned the largestConservative vote in Scotland, with Conservative Councillor Cherry Young winning with 77.63% of the vote.[3]
In the Scottish Parliament, the area is represented by SNP MSPSiobhian Brown as part of theAyr constituency. At Westminster, Doonfoot is represented byElaine Stewart ofScottish Labour as part of theAyr, Carrick and Cumnock constituency.
Doonfoot contains a primary school, a play park, and alocal convenience shop. There are also plans for a new retirement home and community centre to be built along the Dunure Road sometime in the near future.
Belleisle Park, one of the largest parks in Ayr, borders Doonfoot. It contains two municipalgolf courses run bySouth Ayrshire Council, Seafield and Belleisle. The latter was designed byJames Braid and has hosted theScottish Open and a number of amateur tournaments. It is often cited as one of the best public courses in Scotland, after courses such asSt Andrews andCarnoustie.[citation needed] The park also houses a number of animals, includingdeer and anaviary. There is also a walled garden with asundial in the middle, and a large glasshouse which contains tropical plants.
Doonfoot extends westwards from theRiver Doon to the ruin ofGreenan Castle, overlooking thecoast. The island ofArran is clearly visible across theFirth of Clyde from many points throughout Doonfoot. The beach at Doonfoot is popular in summer but, like many beaches along theAyrshire coast, has failed to meetEuropean Union standards for cleanliness under the Blue Flag scheme.
Settlements inSouth Ayrshire | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Villages, hamlets and suburbs | ||
See also:List of places in South Ayrshire | ||
