Falkirk Council: Have your say about future of Falkirk town centre at event

An event today (Thursday) will invited residents, businesses and visitors to view suggestions how the heart of the town could change and develop over the next 20 years.

Taking place in Trinity Church, Falkirk, the event will showcase ideas from architects who have spent six months developing plans on behalf of Falkirk Council.

Threesixty Architecture will have plans on display and people can come along between 11am and 6pm to view them and give their feedbank. The council said this will help with the final draft of the Development Framework Masterplan for the town centre, which will go before councillors later this year.

The masterplan will include a mix of retail, leisure, housing and public space that aims to create a “balanced, sustainable and vibrant town centre that caters to the evolving needs of the community”, according to the local authority.

By involving multiple stakeholders, the council aims to identify areas where investment will have the greatest impact and assess the suitability of future development proposals.

Project staff will be available throughout the day to talk through the concepts and find out if they meet with people's aspirations for the town.

Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, leader of Falkirk Council, said: “We need a masterplan for Falkirk town centre that shows how we can all work together to create a vibrant, successful, and attractive community for the coming decades. This exercise serves as a statement of intent, demonstrating our ambition for the town centre to the community and potential investors. It will foster a shared sense of purpose and help attract funding and investment required to revitalise Falkirk Town Centre and seize opportunities for growth.”

Following the recent approval to build a replacement town hall on the Callendar Square site, MrsMeiklejohn stressed this was the ideal moment in time for local people to get involved and help plan for the town centre’s future.

She said: “The town hall project holds immense potential to rejuvenate the town centre, enhance civic infrastructure, and provide a central hub for various community activities and services. It will bring about transformational change and be a catalyst for economic growth. We must be ready to capitalise on the opportunities it brings.

“To help us do that, we need to ensure the development framework is as ambitious as possible and reflects the needs of local people and businesses. What this drop-in session will allow us to do is present a shared vision to the community, shaped by extensive engagement, that will ensure a prosperous and vibrant future for Falkirk town centre.”

As well as looking at potential ways to rejuvenate the town centre, the development framework also takes a holistic view to Falkirk’s overall development, considering its connections with other important areas such as the Central Retail Park, Forth and Clyde Canal, and prominent tourist attractions.

Earlier this year the council came under fire when a similar meeting failed to invite the owners of the Howgate shopping centre, Belgate (Falkirk) Ltd, and plans showed the mall flattened and replaced by homes and greenspace.