Everyone interested in Kinneil Estate is encouraged to make their voices heard as Falkirk Council have begun a consultation on a draft new 10-year ‘Masterplan’ for 2026-36 for Kinneil Estate.
The consultation includes a survey and six drop-in sessions* in Bo’ness where people can find out more from Council staff and express their views. All the details can be found here together with the full 90-page consultation document and an online survey – users first need to register on the ‘Participate+’ platform, but there is a separate survey for children under 13. Paper copies of the consultation document and survey forms are also available in Bo’ness Library and Kinneil Museum. The Council’s own news release about the consultation is here.
The new draft plan follows the Council’s first Kinneil Masterplan 2015-25, which was criticised in 2022 for its comparative lack of progress towards its main transformational development objectives. More limited aims from the plan have, however, been progressed in the last ten years, including some increased opening days and activity by Historic Environment Scotland in Kinneil House, and most recently the Council’s allocation of £150k of investment from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund towards various improvements around the estate.
The consultation also co-incides with the Council’s recently-confirmed position that in Spring 2026 it intends to pull out of providing visitor facilities at Kinneil Museum, which has dismayed the Friends of Kinneil. The Friends believe that the museum closure proposal appears to undermine and contradict at the outset the first two stated strategic aims (on p.40) of the new draft plan, namely:
- “Objective 1.0: Attract more local, regional, and tourist visitors through targeted promotion, events, activities and improved facilities/access…
- Objective 2.0: Safeguard and maintain the Estate’s historic buildings, landscapes, and natural features, ensuring their long-term preservation and relevance.“
Commenting on the new consultation, a spokesperson for the Friends of Kinneil said: “We encourage everyone with an interest in Kinneil to give their views and ideas to the Council before the end of July.
“This lengthy consultation document sets out many of the issues and people’s aspirations for this outstanding place, but is deficient on firm commitments towards achieving Kinneil’s potential, and its transformation into what it could be.
“It is also surely an admission of failure of the existing plan, and simply not coherent with the stated goals of the new draft plan, to pull out at this crucial juncture from the main visitor reception centre and toilets, especially when significant public sums have just been spent improving the visitor parking and other infrastructure.
“Government funding to support the museum could be available to the Council, and they are also developing plans for a tourism levy, the proceeds of which are also meant to support local attractions, and help grow heritage tourism and the local economy in future.
“This consultation should demonstrate joined-up strategic planning . We’re asking the Council to reconsider their very disappointing museum proposal, and to ensure, in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland who manage Kinneil House, that Kinneil continues to develop as a national historic visitor attraction, and as a shining example of how heritage is celebrated”.
________________
* Scheduled free drop-in consultation sessions by Falkirk Council are as follows:
7 July, 1-3pm, Kinneil Museum
9 July, 2-4pm, Kinneil Museum
15 July, 10am-12 noon, Bo’ness Library
17 July, 12 noon-2pm, Bo’ness Library
19 July, 1-3pm, Kinneil Museum
21 July, 5-7pm, Bo’ness Library
26 July, 1-3pm, Kinneil Museum.
Kinneil 
You must be logged in to post a comment.