Contamination and rising costs could hamper MOD site's new £24million revamp

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Delays in developing Forthside amid contamination concerns and rising costs risk devaluing around £24 million of investment on the site it has been claimed.Plans for the former MoD site, covering 35 acres, have been described as ‘once in a generation’ and recently received £19million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund.It has been suggested it could be turned into a technology park with the creation of 1000 jobs.But Stirling Council Tory group leader Neil Benny warned fellow councillors last week that lack of progress on the city centre site was a concern.He said the project had the potential to be “transformative” for Stirling, Forth Valley and even Scotland - but that it was “losing value every day”.SNP councillor Gerry McLaughlan also raised concerns about the delay - however stressed the importance of ensuring the council was not left with the headache of dealing with contamination, which has been the topic of much debate in discussions on the site for several years.At the council’s finance, economy and corporate support committee last Thursday, Councillor Benny said: “The MoD land at Forthside now effectively has £24million hanging over the top of it.

Click here for more news and sport from the Stirling area. He said a “clean, unsullied site” was what was expected, but that there had also been failings to “articulate a vision” for the land for some time.“Inflation is currently sitting well over 10 per cent in terms of some of the construction prices.

It means it loses value every day we sit here and continue not to express what we want to do with it and move on it.“It really concerns me the lack of progress on the MoD site.