A report to this week’s meeting of Falkirk Council detailed how the final sale of Callendar Square shopping centre and the Antonine Hotel in Falkirk was now almost complete with the final deal being approved in January 2024.
The high street sites will be used to build the new Falkirk Town Hall which will bring a theatre, library and civic space to help regenerate the town centre.
The report also detailed progress on the now soon-to-be-completed demolition of the former Falkirk Town Hall and Municipal Buildings site in preparation for its sale for potential development generating revenue to help fund the replacement venue.
Timescales for the new Town Hall we also included in the report with demolition expected to start in February 2024, planning application submitted by March 2025 and construction starting in summer 2025 if progress is made according to plan.
Challenges ahead
Members also heard that financing the project continues to be challenging. Current plans involve using funds from the Scottish and UK Government Growth Deal, the sale of surplus Council sites and the existing capital budget, but close monitoring will continue to take place.
The report also explained that until a final business case is prepared with details on all aspects of the project, only an estimated cost can be offered at this time. The Council will continue to be updated as the project progresses.
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council said: “This is a very important first step in the regeneration of Falkirk town centre and opens up to the potential of thousands of new visitors from across Central Scotland and beyond, visiting our area.
“The new centre will feature many different facilities to be enjoyed by local residents and visitors alike and will bring a radical transformation to our town centre.
“We know there will be challenges delivering such an ambitious project, however we are committed to delivering it and will ensure that we see something that is created that can benefit everyone for a very long time to come.”