Patna

Patna and Polnessan are located in the Doon Valley beside the River Doon and on the A713, approximately 7 miles from Ayr. It is near the villages of Waterside, Dalmellington and Kirkmichael, and close to the Dark Sky Observatory at Craigengillan and a 13th-century castle at Loch Doon.

The population of Patna in 2010 was just over 2,200 – there has been an increase of around 1% in the last 10 years. There is a larger percentage of preschool children than the national average and at the other end, there is a significantly smaller percentage of 16–29-year-olds. The number of over 60’s is higher than the rest of East Ayrshire and the national average, this might be due to the fact that there are two nursing homes in the village. This could also account for the higher-than-average percentage of part-time work and the higher percentage of people with poor health. The gender split in Patna is consistent with the figures reported across East Ayrshire and Scotland as a whole.

Mining was the mainstay of the local economy until the 1980s when pit closures had a devastating effect on local employment and the economy. The recent decline in the opencast mining industry has further compounded unemployment in the local area. Unemployment rates in the area are slightly higher than the average for East Ayrshire. Just over 57% of Patna’s population are currently in employment, with the majority of those being employed in the health and social care sector. The main local employers in the area are two care homes. Local businesses include a variety of shops, taxi companies and other businesses such as specialist cake businesses and construction-related contractors.

Patna reports a lower level of owner-occupied housing than the East Ayrshire and Scotland average. As a result, the area reports a higher level of local authority renting. As at September 2014, the Council had a stock of 319 properties in Patna, with 57 people on the waiting list for a Council house. 15 houses are currently vacant, and 14 of these are in Doonbank.