Concerns for Falkirk and Grangemouth town centres as Gateway developer is found

At a meeting of the Falkirk Council’s executive on Tuesday members agreed to the appointment of Hargreaves Property Ventures Ltd – a partnership between Hargreaves Services plc and Fintry Estates Ltd – as the preferred developer for the Gateway – located to the east of the town, adjacent to the new Forth Valley College and Falkirk Stadium.

Initial plans put forward highlighted large scale retail units, office space, leisure space, a hotel site, a drive through and a pub/restaurant.

Council leader Cecil Meiklejohn said: “The creation of an ‘urban quarter’ at the Westfield/Middlefield site will transform the vacant area between Falkirk and Grangemouth and bring the 30 acre site into a location that will help promote economic growth.”

The council is commissioning a report on the impact the proposals will have on Falkirk and Grangemouth town centres because of the amount of retail development involved.

In its primary masterplan Hargreaves allocated a total of 113,340 square feet of land to six retail developments compared to 76,460 square feet for office space, 64,702 square feet for a hotel and 20,000 square feet for a leisure unit.

In light of the scale of the retail element Councillor David Alexander put forward an additional recommendation any capital receipts from developers be ring fenced for town centre regeneration.