Progress report
BOSSES with ING Real Estates have agreed to update the Bo'ness public on their ambitious foreshore development proposals at a public meeting next week.
Representatives from the company and Falkirk Council will attend the area forum meeting in Kinneil Primary School.
ING outlined its 150
million regeneration strategy —revealed to acclaim almost exactly one year ago — at a previous forum meeting.
But that was many months ago and Bob Barr, forum
convener, believes it is vital that local residents are made aware of subsequent
developments — especially with little hard evidence of the project moving forward.
And he has urged people to turn out in force at next Thursday's meeting to hear what the experts have to say and to put their questions to everyone involved.
Mr Barr said: "At the
previous meeting a number of searching questions were asked of ING Real Estates, not all of which were answered to everyone's satisfaction, particularly in relation to tides, dock access and the silt build-up in the dock.
"In the intervening months the whole thing has gone a bit flat and I believe it's time ING Real Estates and Falkirk Council came back to Bo'ness and brought us up to speed on progress.
"I know questions are being asked around the town and I also know that a degree of scepticism surrounds the entire regeneration strategy.
''Indeed, some people have openly questioned whether it will ever go ahead at all.
"Now's the time to get answers to these questions and I hope local residents will do just that.
"I don't want to be the only person asking questions because that looks too much like we are working from a prepared script."
Councillor John Constable, convener of Falkirk Council's regulatory (planning)
committee and of the Bo'ness regeneration strategy working party, insisted: "Work is proceeding on ING's planning application, possibly the biggest ever seen in Bo'ness.
"We have done our best to keep the public informed through public meetings, the council newsletter, question and answer sessions and all the time we have tried to take the public with us.
"Of course, it is difficult to fully understand what is involved in considering such a huge project and it is inevitable that things will go quiet from time to time but it is very exciting. I can assure townspeople that a great deal is going on in the
background."
ING Real Estates is
awaiting permission for its plan which includes a hotel, shops, bars, bistros, a marina and hundreds of new properties. Officials studying the bid hope to report to councillors early next year.
Meanwhile, ING Real Estates Ltd has drawn up a development brief for the
50-plus Corbiehall flats which it acquired from Falkirk Council earlier this year.
A decision on that application is likely by March, said Councillor Constable.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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