Bellair, the owner and operator of The Hub in Falkirk’s Vicar Street, has been engaged in discussions with Falkirk Council planners to make the development happen, but things are going slowly despite council leader Cecil Meiklejohn’s announcement the council is looking to bring residential properties back to the town centre as one way of increasing footfall.

Colin Campbell, managing director of Bellair, said: “We bought the property over a year ago and stripped it all out. We want to create two relatively small retail units with one front facing onto the High Street. Then we want to create three two-bedroom flats above.”

“Our goal here is to take a redundant building in a key location in Falkirk’s High Street and re-purpose it for the benefit of the town. Our proposed floor plan for the retail units and three apartments is in keeping with the council’s plans, with the purposes of getting people back onto the High Street.

“It’s been a slow process though and we really want to get going on the project.”

Bellair has still to submit a planning application for its development, the Falkirk Herald reports. 

Mr Campbell added: “It is bogged down in pre-planning at the moment. We have not submitted our actual planning proposal as yet because we wanted to do all the negotiations beforehand.

“If we were to put in a planning application we would hope it would get planning permission in around three month’s time.”

Mr Campbell said Bellair bought the property partly for sentimental reasons. He added: “My great, great grandfather had a greengrocers in the Vodaphone unit next to the Burtons premises. The town has been exceptionally good to my family and we want to do our bit to get it back to its former glory.”