The Friends of Kinneil will next week urge Falkirk Councillors across parties not to approve a proposed new 10-year ‘Masterplan’ for historic Kinneil Estate until more work is done on it, firmer commitments are included, and uncertainty around the future of the estate’s main existing visitor facilities is resolved.
After Falkirk Council’s consultation over the summer about a draft Masterplan for 2026-36, and their review of its feedback, officers are now presenting a revised version to a meeting of the Council’s Executive Committee on 6 November.
However, separate discussions have meanwhile been progressing but are not yet concluded to resolve the future of Kinneil Museum, which the Council are still threatening to close at the end of March 2026. Other possible future development options for Kinneil House and Estate as an overall major historic attraction are also currently being explored.
The Friends say that a masterplan for the next ten years cannot and should not be endorsed without more clarity about these other foundational steps, and that the masterplan as a whole still lacks coherence, firm commitments, and integration with other strategies and local plans.
A spokesperson for the Friends of Kinneil said: “The new 10-year masterplan covers several of the right issues and themes, but how can elected members sign it off with such uncertainty surrounding even the initial stage? It’s like being recommended to set off blindfolded on a long journey across shifting ground.
“The consultation feedback clearly shows people’s concerns and that they want visitor facilities and toilets. The first stated aim of the new masterplan refers to improving facilities, as does the Council’s press statement for this meeting, but this just does not stack up whilst their threatened closure of existing facilities, in the museum building, from the outset of the plan is not yet resolved.
“We welcome some of the current investments in other visitor infrastructure at Kinneil, but the overall plan needs joining up. If many more visitors are attracted to enjoy the major new playpark development, for example, or to see Historic Scotland’s expanding heritage offer at Kinneil House, where will they go to the toilet or get refreshments if the museum visitor centre is closed?
“Delivery of the plan will also need a substantial budget attached, at a proportionate level with comparable Falkirk-area attractions, but confirmed details so far look inadequate.
“It is in everyone’s interests to get such a long-term plan and its vision right. We are asking Councillors to refer it back for more improvement and consultation by officers, and for integration with other strategies such as the Bo’ness town centre masterplan which Councillors considered at their previous meeting – where they agreed on Bo’ness being a heritage destination, whilst asking for further refinement including linkage with Kinneil.
“We are also asking for the Council to continue to work in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and other partners to save the museum building, and further develop Kinneil as a whole, as an historic attraction.”
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Additional notes:
– The Council’s own news release of 23 October on this subject is here.
– The Friends of Kinneil submitted a detailed response to the summer consultation about the draft Kinneil masterplan. A copy (a short-form electronic survey response, then accompanied by detailed comments on a copy of the draft masterplan itself) is now available here and here. [Note: the second needs to be best viewed on a larger screen using dedicated ‘pdf’ reading software such as Acrobat Reader].
Kinneil 
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