Upgrade work at historic Bo’ness Library hit by another delay

Work to upgrade the historic library in Bo’ness has been delayed yet again – and now won’t start until March next year.

The 17th century building in Scotland’s Close was allocated cash from a town centre regeneration fund to help make high streets more vibrant, enterprising and accessible.

The work on the old building, which has been home to the library for 40 years, will include installing a new lift and making the upper floor more accessible.

The cash, from the Scottish Government, was originally agreed to be spent in 2019.

It is understood that renovations were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic when the library was shut.

But some critics are now asking why it should take three years for the work to be done.

The chair of Bo’ness Community Council, Madelene Hunt, said: “I wish they’d hurry up and get on with it – why do things take so long to get done in Bo’ness?”

A spokesperson for Falkirk Council said: “While we regret the delay in starting the project, there has been a lot of work going on in the background to realise community aspirations for the use of this much valued local facility.”

The council said it had been working closely with structural engineers to undertake technical investigations ahead of the tender process.

The spokesperson added: “Subject to this tender process, the Bo’ness accessibility project will commence in March 2022 for approximately 16 weeks.”

By local democracy reporter Kirsty Paterson