Falkirk Council: Ten year vision to regenerate town centre to be debated

Members of Falkirk Council’s executive will be asked on Tuesday to agree to a framework that will be used to guide development in the years ahead.

A report going to councillors says its aim is to “guide and inform future development, attract investment and ensure the town centre meets theneeds and aspirations of the local community”.

Created in partnership with award-winning Three-Sixty Architects, the framework looks at the many challenges facing Falkirk at the moment as retail across the UK adapts to huge changes.

They hope that the council’s promise to demolish and redevelop Callendar Square shopping centre as the site of a new town hall will be a catalyst for regeneration of other sites.

Key priority areas for development include the former bus station which lies empty at the east end of the High Street; the former Marks & Spencer building in the centre of the High Street; and the block at the west end of the High Street, which was built in the 1970s and now contains mostly vacant properties.

The framework will see retail reducing and consolidating while more people will be encouraged to live in the town centre.

Culture and heritage will be hugely important to any transformation, as will pleasant and accessible public spaces and good facilities.

The vision also includes the redevelopment of Falkirk Grahamston station as Falkirk Central Transport Hub, a key part of government-funded the Falkirk/Grangemouth Growth Deal.

And the framework also sets out the opportunities the town centre has to link up with major tourist attractions such as Callendar Park, the Helix and the Falkirk Wheel.

Over six months, a series of conversations, workshops, meetings and events were undertaken with around 500 participants including local property owners, developers and community groups as well as Police Scotland and NHS Forth Valley among others.

The report states: “The local community expressed a strong social and emotional connection to Falkirk town centre and the process of engagement has provided them with the opportunity to voice their concerns and aspirations for their town centre and the autonomy to shape and influence the project at the inception stage.”

The masterplan proposals were also presented to the public at an event held in Falkirk Trinity Church in June, when councillors and officials were delighted by the response from the public to the positive vision for change.

Michael McGuinness, the council’s head of growth, planning and climate change, said: “Our aim is to create a town centre that becomes a real source of pride for every Falkirk resident, and a destination that draws even more visitors to Falkirk and the surrounding areas.

“Extensive consultation with communities and businesses has informed every stage of the masterplan’s development, ensuring local people’s aspirations are at the heart of the vision for how the town centre could evolve.

“If councillors are minded to approve the plan, it will provide a clear direction of travel not just for the council but also partner organisations and the private sector. It will also provide us with an approach that can be replicated to help revitalise other town centres in the area.”