Falkirk HQ and arts centre: More reports would cost another £100,000

On Wednesday, councillors will be given an update on the long-running saga to replace the current council offices and town hall.

Members will be asked if they want to go ahead with detailed design options for a new headquarters on the current site of Westbank Clinic, while the current Town Hall will be upgraded rather than replaced.

But it makes clear that these reports will come at a cost.

The updated design proposals for Westbank are estimated to cost £10-15,000, it says.

And the cost of keeping the Town Hall will require an updated business plan, parking study and technical information, that is expected to total £75-85,000.

That’s on top of the £1,800,000 that has already been spent on the project since it was first mooted in 2014.

Councillors voted in September not to proceed with the SNP’s vision of a new HQ and arts centre that would include a new library, a cafe and advice hub to be built in Falkirk High Street.

That plan – which the council has set aside £45 million for – is favoured by many town centre business people who say it would bring vital footfall into the High Street.

The Labour and Conservative groups, however, voted to block the plans.

Instead, they want to look again at the site of the former Westbank clinic where they would like to see offices for around 200 people and a civic suite for meetings – at a cost of around £24 million.

Their plan to keep the current Town Hall would involve a partial upgrade to improve energy efficiency.

A previous survey put this cost between £2.5 and £3.7 million – but the new report will look at the extra problem of how to separate the old theatre from the old office block, which shares a common plant area.

Previously, officers had said that the building did not meet the standards expected in a modern arts facility – and questioned whether it was worth spending so much to extend the life of a 50-year-old building.

Going back to the beginning means they will also need to review FTH business plan and look at what external funding they can still hope for.

The report will be heard tomorrow at the last full council meeting of 2021.

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