Falkirk Council reveals plans for promised new leisure facilities in Bo'ness

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The promised facilities that will replace Bo'ness Recreation Centre are taking shape as part of a wider review of Falkirk Council 's leisure services.

The £10.5 million plans include a 'community wing' being added to Bo'ness Academy and new facilities that have yet to be agreed for Denny and the Braes.

These will be in addition to a new £35 million leisure centre that will replace the Mariner Centre and Grangemouth Sports Centre, if councillors agree at a meeting of Falkirk Council's executive next week. Read more: New Falkirk leisure centre costing £35 million to be built The proposals for Bo'ness - where the recreation centre closed for good last month - are the most advanced.The council was widely criticised for the closure of the recreation centre before any replacement had been agreed and it hopes plans to spend £3.5 million creating a 'community wing' of Bo'ness Academy will be welcomed by residents.If approved, the aim is for construction to start in late summer 2025, once the school has returned to council ownership.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.The Bo'ness proposals suggest that residents will have access some of the facilities during the day, including the new gym, 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 outside school use and the work will include improvements to the changing facilities.A new rugby pitch is also being proposed as part of the work.The report says that an expression of interest has been received from a community group interested