Councillors have agreed to close the Falkirk Town Hall after surveys showed it needed up to £6m of investment to remain operational and instead plan for a new venue on a High Street site.
At a meeting of Falkirk Council this week (28 September), it was agreed that a new HQ and Arts Centre would not be built on the former Municipal Building site. This was because such a move would not significantly contribute to high street regeneration, it would put £6m of Growth Deal funding at risk, it would prevent the Council from realising a sizeable sale of the site, and it would remove any opportunity for additional funding from the Scottish Government for town centre regeneration.
Given this, it was agreed that officers should develop plans for a new Falkirk Town Hall – including locations - and bring them back to a future meeting for approval. It is proposed that the new facility would be a civic building with performing arts space, and only modest office provision.
FTH will permanently close in February 2023 after the report detailed the costs of bringing the venue up to modern standards were judged to be too high.
Outreach Programme
It was also agreed that an outreach arts programme would be delivered annually in local communities across Falkirk in the gap between the closure of FTH and the construction of a new venue. It was also agreed to look at what external funding was available to help boost a new arts programme.
Officers will also contact all affected groups who have bookings at FTH to see what could be done to assist in finding alternative venues and supporting them with any additional costs. Equipment from FTH will be removed and relocated to other council venues to support this process.
More background information for customers is available on the Falkirk Leisure and Culture website.