No opening date for Falkirk district libraries, museums or public toilets

Safety checks are required on all buildings before they can reopen to the public
Members of the public are still waiting for the district's libraries to reopenMembers of the public are still waiting for the district's libraries to reopen
Members of the public are still waiting for the district's libraries to reopen

Members of the public will have to wait longer to access Falkirk district’s libraries, museums and public toilets at popular attractions.

Falkirk Community Trust has confirmed that there is still no date set for the reopening of the region’s eight libraries, or the public toilets it operates at the Helix and Callendar Park, despite such facilities already having reopened across Scotland in other council regions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is not known how long local libraries, public toilets, the museums at Callendar and Kinneil houses and the Helix Visitor Centre will remain closed with required building safety checks still to be carried out before they can welcome locals and visitors back.

From Wednesday, July 15 libraries, museums, galleries and various other visitor attractions were permitted by the Scottish Government to reopen after being closed since March.

However, the trust has been in no rush to throw open the doors of its premises, and more than a month on from the date things could reopen, there is still no formal opening date for libraries, museums and public toilets run by the trust.

A spokesperson for Falkirk Community Trust, said: “On March 18, Falkirk Community Trust suspended the vast majority of its services and to date has reopened Grangemouth Golf Course, tennis courts at Dollar and Zetland Parks, play parks at Callendar, Helix, Kinneil and Muiravonside Parks as well as Newparks Farm at Muiravonside Country Park.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“At the July 9 review, the First Minister announced that Scotland will progress to Phase 3 of the Routemap, which meant that from July 15, museums, galleries, libraries and various other visitor attractions could re-open.

“All eight of our libraries along with the museum at Kinneil House, Callendar House, the Helix Visitor Centre and the Hippodrome Cinema fall into this section of the Routemap, however

we have been unable to set dates for the reopening of these sites at this time.

"As buildings have been closed for so long, the council, as the building owners and responsible for their upkeep, need to undertake a number of safety tests (including water, electricity, fire alarms etc) and, where problems are detected, arrange for remedial work to be undertaken.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The council is also responsible for undertaking the same programme of work to ensure the area’s primary and secondary schools were safe to reopen and these have taken priority.

“As soon as we can guarantee the safe, compliant reopening of our public toilet facilities and buildings (for libraries this will be a click and collect service to begin with), we will make the announcement via our website."

Last week the trust revealed that following the Scottish Government’s latest announcement that gyms and swimming pools can reopen from August 31, assuming the necessary building safety checks are complete, it plans to open some of its health and fitness facilities on September 14.

Read More
Trust delays reopening of health and fitness facilities

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council, said: “The necessary checks on the Council’s buildings (including those operated by the Community Trust) are underway, and these will include cleaning, disinfection and testing of water systems, as well as ensuring that other building system checks (for example fire alarm systems, emergency lighting, electrical and heating systems) are fully serviced and checked.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"These checks will be ongoing over the course of the coming weeks, to support the planned return to occupation of buildings where this is appropriate.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the highest standards in the world. The dramatic events of 2020 are having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers and consequently the advertising that we receive. We are now more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you