Falkirk Council: Decision time for properties, including Grangemouth Stadium and Polmont ski slope

The council’s strategic property review (SPR) shows that 25 council-owned buildings could go on to be given to community groups and clubs across Falkirk, if councillors approve plans.

But 64 would close for good, saving the council nearly £1 million in 2024/25, at a time it is increasingly short of cash.

If approval is given, it could mean a new lease of life for facilities including Polmont’s ski slope, where a group of volunteers are working hard to promote what the centre has to offer and find a way to make it pay.

Grangemouth’s athletics stadium could also be saved, with a feasibility study looking at how it be run outwith council ownership.

There are also 14 community halls that are on their way to being transferred including Bowhouse, Limerigg and Banknock Community Centre.

The latest proposals contain a reprieve for Stenhousemuir Gym, which will be given an extra year to find a way to make it financially viable.

And Carron Gymnastics Centre, which has seen improved financial performance, has a local group interested in taking the property on.

Groups have also stepped forward to look at pavilions such as Inchyra Road, while Muiravonside Country Park cafe, and the Callendar Park Kiosk and WC now have commercial operators.

The report, however, is grim reading for the Bo’ness residents who have campaigned relentlessly to keep the town’s recreation centre open.

Councillors will be told that the condition of the building is so bad that it would cost £4 million just to save it, let alone make any improvements.

Surveyors identified corroded electrical wiring and cracks to the pool wall which could fail at any time, as well as issues with the boilers, lighting and heating plant. The roof is also in very poor condition.

In a separate report, they will recommend that the building closes immediately.

But council officials are also putting forward that £3 million of funding should be invested in ‘community access to sport and leisure facilities at secondary schools’ in the Falkirk Council area including Bo’ness Academy.

The town’s Kinneil Museum would also close if the plans are approved, as will the toilets in Blackness.

Two other community centres where local groups are hopeful of taking over are also in a category D condition, which means ‘life expired and/or serious risk of imminent failure’.

Bainsford Community Hall, which is already being run by a committee of volunteers, and Polmont’s Greenpark Community Centre, where there is an expression of interest, are being moved forward, shortening the length of time for any transfer to take place.

Falkirk Council says that the review is essential to allow them to concentrate on improving the quality of a smaller number of buildings.

It says that “millions of pounds” are available to improve the facilities for things such as new boilers, upgraded roofs and solar panels to help the community operate the buildings more efficiently in the future.

In addition, the SPR will reduce the council’s carbon footprint by approximately 2316 tonnes – approximately 15 per cent of all council property carbon emissions.

Crucially for the council, closing the 64 buildings would avoid the council from having to invest millions of pounds in backlog maintenance.

Bonnybridge Community Centre, it highlights, requires more than £1 million of repairs to remain operational.

Many of the 113 buildings originally put forward as part of the SPR are stores and bothies used by the council and their closure will have no impact on the public.

Malcolm Bennie, director of place services, said: “It is really positive to see how community and sports groups have come forward to show interest in taking on Council buildings across the Falkirk area.

“It is still early days but transfers of this scale would be as large as anything seen across Scotland, and this just shows how strong our local communities are in Falkirk.

“Funding is available to support the groups, and officers from various Council services are available to assist them with applications and business cases.

“A number of buildings are identified for closure and while that would be a shame the reality is the Council does not have the funding to make the necessary repairs on those properties. In many cases, the buildings are no longer fit for modern service delivery, and are inefficient to operate. Importantly their closure will help us move towards a carbon-zero position for the council.

“Reducing the number of properties that council operates from will also allow what investment we do have to go on a smaller number of buildings including schools which should improve their quality and sustainability.

“It is now up to elected members to decide if this is the right approach to take for the future of the Falkirk area.”

Falkirk Council will discuss the report and the proposals on Wednesday, January 31 at 10 am in Grangemouth Community Education Centre, Abbot’s Road. The meeting will also be livestreamed.