Grangemouth residents are being urged to attend a public meeting seeking answers on major issues facing the town, such as poor housing and a run-down town centre.
The meeting, on Thursday, February 20, in Grangemouth High School, has been called by Grangemouth Community Council.
They have invited senior members of Falkirk Council to attend, in the hope that residents can either put their questions directly to them or get the community councillors to quiz them on their behalf.
Read more: Grangemouth oil refinery closure date revealed as work begins to close plant
While uncertainty surrounds the future of Grangemouth’s industry, there are major projects ahead that promise to deliver green jobs that will replace the traditional oil, gas and chemical industries.
These include the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal and the Green Freeport.
But the community council wants to know exactly how these projects will benefit the whole community and the people who actually live in the town, where unemployment is already 9.2 per cent, around twice the national average.
A major topic of concern to the community council is housing, which has been raised as a flagship issue over many years.
In particular, they want answers on why the town is getting more HMO’s (houses of multiple occupation) than any other part of Falkirk district, despite the fact that Grangemouth already has lots of flats and needs more family homes.
The community council believes that more family homes will attract families and people who care about the community and want to make it a better place to live.
They also expect to hear questions on the council’s recent strategic property review, which looks likely to result in the closure of Bowhouse Community Centre and Grangemouth Community Education Unit.
There are many community groups in the town doing lots of good work, but after years of consultations and plans being developed the lack of improvement is disheartening.
“People have lost faith,” one community councillor said ahead of the meeting.
They have their own ideas about what would work to bring prosperity to the town: a railway station to bring workers into to the town; a workplace parking levy for the large workplaces, which could be used to fund a circular bus route; a housing masterplan that would stop more HMOs taking over the town centre.
But the community council wants to make sure that everyone gets a chance to ask a question and they hope to get some action rather than words as a result.
The meeting will be held in the assembly hall, Grangemouth High School, Tinto Drive, Grangemouth, from 7pm-9pm. Anyone who would like a question asked on their behalf should email [email protected].
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