<Back To Themes and Projects|
This project is closely linked to the National Festival Site project and aims to explore the viability of a centre where artists can create art for outdoor locations. This facility would be the first of its kind in the UK and would provide an unique opportunity to bring artists from theatre, music, visual arts and street arts backgrounds together to create site specific performances for BIG in Falkirk and touring Europe as part of Insitu, a network for outdoor European Street Art Festivals. There is also the potential for this to be accessed by local arts groups and educational establishments. An application for funding a feasibility study is currently with the Scottish Arts Council.
Contact Sue Selwyn, sue.selwyn@falkirk.gov.uk|
The Millennium Link project, which was formally opened in May 2002, saw the re-opening of coast to coast and city to city navigation across Scotland's Lowland canals after many years of neglect. Lying at the historic junction of the Forth and Clyde Canal and Union Canal, the Falkirk council area is at the heart of the canal network, and is uniquely placed to take advantage of the major regeneration, tourism, business and environmental opportunities which the restoration of the canals has created.
The most exciting opportunities lie along the Forth and Clyde Canal within the town of Falkirk. The Falkirk Wheel, with its associated visitor facilities, has been a huge success since its opening in 2002, attracting some 500,000 visitors per year. It has become a focus for boat hire businesses and has hosted major events such as the Scottish Boat Show.
A cluster of other opportunities in close proximity to the Wheel have the potential to create an attractive 'canal village' in this part of Falkirk. A large vacant site at Tamfourhill, east of the Wheel, offers potential for a mixed use waterfront development including a new marina basin - an opportunity being jointly investigated and promoted by British Waterways and Falkirk Council. Further east, the Rosebank Distillery site has already seen the development of waterfront apartments, with further opportunities for mixed use development in the redundant distillery buildings being considered. Further east the canal corridor at Merchiston and Bankside is being revitalised by the building of the new St Mungo's High School and a series of new residential developments fronting on to the canal.
Exciting developments are planned for the eastern terminus of the Forth and Clyde Canal. As part of the £50m Helix project, access to the canal network from the River Forth will be enhanced through canalisation of a section of the River Carron and the installation of a dramatic new boat lift, in the form of a pair of giant *kelpies. Alongside the Helix, the Falkirk Gateway - the area's largest commercial development - will have a strong canal interface, featuring a marina with associated leisure, business and residential uses.
The Union Canal, stretching from south Falkirk through Polmont and eastwards to the council boundary at Muiravonside, is generally more rural in character. Nonetheless, a series of development opportunities have the potential to develop as activity nodes. The Redding Park development has seen the remediation of one of Scotland's most contaminated sites; and the construction of some 400 houses on the site is well underway. Further canal-related opportunities exist at the proposed new settlement at Whitecross and adjacent to the historic Causewayend canal basin.
* NB: In Scottish folklore the kelpie was a water spirit in the form of a horse, which drowned its riders.
This project builds on the £78M invested by the Millennium Commission and a range of other partners in the Millennium Link initiative which restored navigation on the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals stretching from Bowling in the west to Grangemouth and Edinburgh in the east. The Falkirk Wheel is the iconic structure which links the two canals and which has become a major tourist attraction. The project comprises a number of elements. Crucially, an ERDF contribution of some £700K has been secured as a contribution to a major £1.5M marketing campaign for The Wheel over a number of years. This not only seeks to promote the Wheel itself but also Falkirk town centre and Callendar House.
In addition to this, the project seeks to secure further investment at the Wheel itself to maximise its economic potential for Falkirk. It also seeks to secure investment at a number of other key nodes at locations along the canal corridor within Falkirk. Amongst others these include potential developments at Tamfourhill and Rosebank .
To find out more contact Scottish Enterprise on 01786 45 19191.
HELIX TRIUMPHS
The HELIX has been awarded £25 million from the Big Lottery Fund's Living Landmarks programme, the only Scottish proposal to receive funding.
The HELIX will establish a massive environmentally based community resource and will offer a better quality of life to visitors and its surrounding communities.
The project will:
-
Provide a unique outdoor space for all with access to woodland, paths, cycle-ways and water features.
-
Reconnect the Forth & Clyde Canal to the Forth Estuary and develop water based activities.
-
Create major public artworks.
-
Develop a sustainable environment.
Project partners: Falkirk Council, Central Scotland Forest Trust and British Waterways Scotland.
To find out more visit the new Helix Website|.
The aim of this project is to create a National Festival Site based around Callendar Park and other locations across the Falkirk Council area. These will host large, medium and small scale events, which will contribute to the cultural and economic vibrancy of the Falkirk area.
To find out more please contact Tom Leighton, tom.leighton@falkirk.gov.uk|
This project focuses on the regeneration of several of the communities in the Falkirk area. The project encompasses a series of initiatives to regenerate the town centres of Bo'ness, Stenhousemuir, Denny, Grangemouth and Falkirk. Each initiative has its own unique characteristics and seeks to maximise the economic transformation of the local community.
Whether it is Bo'ness with its imaginitive harbour project led by Dutch developers ING, Stenhousemuir's news that a 40,000 sq ft Asda is to open there or the appointment of Henry Boot as developer for the £11 million project to improve Denny town centre, progress is definitely being made.
The Council recently launched the £5million Townscape Heritage Initiative in Bo'ness and this initiative will secure the future of the town as a major tourism centre. The town has a wealth of historic buildings and has been awarded Outstanding Conservation Area Status. This project will repair heritage buildings and bring underused property back into use. Meanwhile a range of THI environmental improvements will be completed by late Spring. Key project: The Hippodrome.
The Hippodrome is an A listed building designed by Bo'ness architect Matt Steele. It opened in 1911 and may have been one of the first ever purpose-built cinemas in Scotland . The building will be reopened as a cinema in the evening and a heritage centre during the day.
ASDA's recent confirmation of the new anchor foodstore in Stenhousemuir was welcomed by Dan Macdonald, Chief Executive of Macdonald Estates, ‘We are delighted to confirm that we have successfully attracted ASDA to invest in Stenhousemuir.'
‘Our proposals will see the town centre radically remodelled, creating a modern, vibrant and welcoming environment and ASDA will play a critical role in breathing new life into Stenhousemuir town centre.'
New Releases|
To find out more please contact Pete Reid, pete.reid@falkirk.gov.uk|
<Back To Themes and Projects|