a quango, the irvine development corporation (idc), was set up in the 1960s to oversee the development of irvine as a 'new town'. the organisation was given the planning powers of the royal burgh of irvine town council, kilwinning town council and the irvine landward district council. this involved massive and sometimes controversial development of the old parts of the town. irvine was officially designated as a "new town" in 1966, the fifth and last to be developed in scotland and the only 'new town' to be located on the coast. the other scottish 'new towns' were east kilbride, glenrothes, cumbernauld and livingston.