Falkirk Council: Muncipal Buildings demolition update

The project is part of the proposal to spend £24 million building a new Falkirk Council headquarters on the site of the old Westbank Clinic which neighbours the current municipal buildings.

The car park in West Bridge Street in front of the former HQ is now fenced off and the demolition contract has been awarded to local firm David Morton Demolition.

In a letter sent to people living close to the site, Falkirk Council has laid out a timetable of works.

This week work on removing asbestos from the former Westbank Clinic began.

From May 2, the demolition of that building will begin, followed by the council committee chambers, district court and the former civil defence bunker. Asbestos is likely to be removed from these buildings from May 9.

June 20 will mark the start of work on the main municipal buildings block with the removal of asbestos and a “soft strip”.

Reinstatement work is scheduled from September 2 and the work is expected to be completed in November.

Last year, councillors rejected a plan to build a new HQ and arts centre closer to the town centre on a site bordering the High Street and Cockburn Street.

Instead they agreed there should be a new build for council offices and instead of a new arts facility the current town hall should be refurbished.

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council previously said: “Work is moving ahead on schedule for the Municipal Buildings site, as well as work at Falkirk Town Hall.

"We are already working on new costings/designs for the HQ proposals and these will be presented to council in the near future.

"Further work is also taking place on costing for a significant refurbishment of Falkirk Town Hall. All of the work is detailed so that members can see the full costs and scale of the work involved.”

On the demolition work, they added: “We are keeping neighbours informed as we progress.”

With the car park now closed, the Bleachfield Path is also shut to pedestrians and people are asked to use an alternative route along Wellside Place.