Kilmarnock's biggest high street shop is being turned into a job centre.
The former BHS building has been empty since the iconic retailer was plunged into administration in 2016.
But now the giant retail space on King Street is going to be transformed into an employment hub.
The L-shaped unit, which is owned by the Burns Mall, is being split into three with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) taking charge of the largest at almost 5,500 sq. m.
Plans by officials show there will be staff access to the building from the adjacent lane that borders the Bank of Scotland.
The job centre will occupy the half of the building closest to JD Sports with the unit next to the Bank of Scotland still up for grabs.
A third smaller unit will be based at the rear of the huge building.
Last week, East Ayrshire Council planners approved blueprints for the use of the facility to be changed from retail to an employment centre.
DWP have been rolling out temporary job centres across the UK in response to the high rate of unemployment as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
It's understood that the new Kilmarnock employment hub will also be temporary and that the current job centre on Grange Street will remain in place.
It's not known how long the new job centre will remain in the prime retail spot but the new facility could be a mainstay on the high street for many years to come.
More than 5,500 people in East Ayrshire are currently unemployed, according to recent figures.
And 68 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds are currently out of work in the area with the increase on job seekers from this time last year up by 36 per cent.
Plans were at an advanced stage for River Island and Superdrug to take over the former BHS shop in 2019 but the deal collapsed. It's understood the first floor of the building was also going to be a call centre.
A spokesman for DWP said: "A new additional temporary job centre is being considered in this location but for commercial reasons we are unable to provide any further information at this stage.
"We will provide an update as soon as we are in a position to."
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