Over the past 12 months, contractors have built open-plan offices at the stadium, creating a bright and modern working environment that better meets the needs of employees who can now work across the Falkirk area.

The new office space will serve as a base for Children's Services, Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership, and Place Services, allowing us to close and sell Sealock House, Denny Town House, and Abbotsford House.

These buildings were costly to operate and far bigger than what we need, given flexible working arrangements. It would also have taken a substantial investment to bring the properties up to an acceptable standard. Now, money from the sale of the sites will offset Council investments.

Pictured: Council Leader Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn (second from left) and spokesperson for Economic Development Cllr Paul Garner (second from the right) are joined by several councillors and project team staff during an official visit to the new office suite.

The transformation of the office space is part of the Strategic Property Review office modernisation workstream, which aims to rationalise the number of buildings we own and, in doing so, release funds to make the remaining properties efficient and appropriate for current and future need.

Out with the old, in with the new

For Children's Services, their new home in the stadium isn’t far away from their previous base Sealock House but the facilities are miles better.

Sara Lacey, Head of Children's Services Social Work, thinks the space is "different in every way possible" and that her teams have been “incredibly positive” about the move.

“People are feeling much happier working out of a modern environment. It feels so welcoming and bright,” she said. “But the thing I like best, is the fact the space has been designed around our needs.”

Having previously had an office at Sealock House, Sara (pictured above) admits she's had to make some adjustments to how she works.

"I’ve found working in an open space encourages more natural conversations. I’ve also found that I now take a break at lunchtime and sit in the social space. At Sealock I ate at my desk. It’s lovely to sit amongst people or simply take time to catch up on the news. It’s also nice to work alongside colleagues in Sport & Leisure and Falkirk Health & Social Care Partnership in such a well-designed space."

For Mark Meechan, Community Learning & Development Manager (pictured above), the move has been extremely positive.

He said: "Working out of the stadium has helped me reconnect with old colleagues and meet new ones for the first time, which has benefited me in my work. It's fresh, bright, colourful and modern – the exact opposite to Sealock House."

Like others who now work out of the stadium, Cleaner Mary Ellen Kelly (pictured above), who was redeployed from Denny Town, says the office is a pleasure to work in.

She said: "Denny Town House is an old building with lots of individual offices. This is the exact opposite. It's a lot nicer and brighter and tidier! Because it's open plan, it makes it a lot easier to meet folk. It’s a lovely place to work."

For members of the Sport & Leisure Team (pictured above), who called the first floor of the stadium their home before the pandemic, the change has been hugely positive.

Connor Martin, Sports Development Officer (pictured at the keyboard), said: "The first floor used to be full of big wooden desks, single monitors and blue dividers. Now there are dual monitors, high-quality adjustable chairs, standing desks, and private pods that make the space really functional. It's also the small touches like the addition of a hot water tap and how colourful the place is that make it a much nicer environment to work in."