Falkirk Town Hall to close for good next year
- Published
Falkirk Town Hall will close for good next year, councillors have agreed.
Officers had recommended its closure for December, but councillors agreed a delay to allow a children's theatre group to use the venue in February.
A report to Falkirk Council found it would cost £2.4m to safely disentangle the hall from adjoining municipal buildings, before repairs costing £4m.
But the recommendation to close the hall in December was criticised by the local arts community.
At a meeting of the council on Wednesday, Amy Sutherland from Falkirk Operatic Society said they stood to lose thousands of pounds as their sets, costumes and performing licence was already paid.
She said a closure of five to 10 years would mean groups would almost certainly not survive.
And she warned councillors that many would go to other local authorities to spend their money, fatally damaging arts and culture in Falkirk.
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The council's director of place services, Malcolm Bennie, said he had sympathy with local groups but he added: "If Covid has taught us anything its that we can find solutions to problems and do so at pace."
He pledged to look at alternatives such as Grangemouth Town Hall and working with schools to allow societies to use their facilities more easily.
But he warned that the condition of Falkirk Town Hall is so poor there was a real danger that shows would be disrupted by the building's failure.
He urged councillors to support a "managed and planned closure".
The closure of Falkirk Town Hall and a replacement programme of community performances was agreed with SNP and Conservative councillors voting in favour.
Story provided by local democracy reporter Kirsty Paterson