IT IS perfectly possible to spend a pleasant afternoon in Falkirk. But once you’ve visited the Falkirk Wheel and seen the Kelpies what else can you do? I’m guessing that the Queen didn’t hang around yesterday after her visit.
Which is a pity but perhaps understandable. There’s a thriving café scene in the town centre in venues such as Tea Jenny’s, where they have a fine line in woollen tea cosies, and Coffee on Wooer, which also hosts music and literature events.
Falkirk, however, like many town centres in Scotland, is looking a little shop-worn these days, a mixture of empty stores and charity shops in amongst the Marks and Spencer and Waterstones branches, with much of the main action happening in the retail estate slightly off the main drag.
As a result I can’t be the only Falkirk town resident who often heads out of town at the weekend rather than into it.
So, the news that there is a potential regeneration in the offing can only be welcomed. Alistair Campbell’s plan for a new civic and arts centre allied to new hotel and residential development is an interesting idea to utilise what is currently largely parking space adjacent to Falkirk Grahamston railway station.
If it goes ahead it would mark a conclusion to a long-standing, at times acrimonious, debate about the future of the existing town hall and the municipal buildings. The latter dates from 1966 and is showing signs of wear and tear.
Any improvement on the town’s public realm is also to be welcomed. So, thumbs up for the idea of a public plaza. Hopefully, it will also address pedestrian access from the town centre to the proposed new developments. Anyone who has tried to dodge the traffic in Garrison Place can tell you how dangerous that can be.
The challenge, if the regeneration does materialise, though, will be twofold. In the first instance to move ahead quickly. Residents in nearby Denny know all too well how long regeneration programmes can take. That said, the £50m direct investment that is being sought for the project could prove a challenging figure in our current straitened times.
Beyond that, while new residences, hotels and offices can be an economic driver you also have to create a reason for people to spend time in the town too. A new arts centre, well programmed, can help address that.
Indeed, Falkirk has been a huge contributor to Scottish culture in the last few decades, from artist Alan Davie to lauded indie duo Arab Strap. The town could do more to recognise that contribution close to home.
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