Falkirk Council plans to replace Bo'ness recreation centre move forward

People in Bo'ness will be consulted as facilities that have been promised to replace the recreation centre take shape.

Members of Falkirk Council 's executive agreed today (Tuesday) to move forward with plans for new leisure facilities in Bo'ness, Denny and the Braes that will complement a large, new facility to be built in the centre of Falkirk district.

The initial report suggested that Denny and Braes residents would be consulted about what new facilities in their areas will look like but made no mention of Bo'ness, where plans are much further forward.

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However, the SNP group - who were proposing the plans be accepted - added that consultation should include people in Bo'ness, which was agreed.

The final closure of Bo'ness Recreation Centre in the face of widespread public anger left residents with many questions about what would be built in its place.

But Falkirk Council hopes that the £3.5 million plans for a 'community wing' to be added to the academy will be welcomed by residents and even entice some people who currently travel to Linlithgow back into the town.

SNP councillor Paul Garner said it was a "very exciting report" and the benefits to the community "would be massive".

The Bo'ness proposals suggest that residents will have access to some of the facilities during the day, including the new fitness suite, which the council promises will be more than double the size of the gym at the former Recreation Centre.

The facilities shared with the school - including the 20m pool - will be open at times still to be finalised and the work will include improvements to the changing facilities.

A new rugby pitch is also being proposed as part of the changes.

However, Independent councillor Robert Spears said that residents continued to have questions, including some he asked on behalf of Dawn Murray, of the Save Bo'ness Reccy Campaign.

Through Cllr Spears, she demanded to know if the facilities would be "future-proof and fit for purpose" and in particular if they would be suitable for a town with 14,500 residents, which is rapidly expanding.

She also said that the community wanted more detailed information on what the opening hours of the pool and other facilities would be.

And she also pointed out that while the council has pledged to keep the Mariner and Grangemouth centres open until any new facilities are ready, Bo'ness did not get this option.

Head of Invest Falkirk, Paul Kettrick, said he believed the facilities being proposed will be future-proof.

And while he could not give definitive times of when the facilities will be available - as that will need to be agreed with the school - he said there was a clear "direction of travel".

The report highlighted that a community group's bid to take on the centre through a Community Asset Transfer could delay the plans, so officers will formally write to the group asking them to withdraw their bid.

If the work does go ahead and to schedule, asbestos surveys will start in July.

The report estimates that the build will take between 14 and 16 months, which means the new wing could be fully operational in the autumn or winter of 2026.

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