Thanks to a new scheme introduced by the King’s and Lord Treasurer’s Remembrancer (KLTR), Falkirk Council took ownership of the hotel earlier this year and appointed Central Demolition Ltd to raze the building to the ground.

Preparatory work began on Monday, 15 July, with the hotel’s chimneys demolished by hand. Heavy machinery was then brought on site to demolish the building the following day. The entire site is expected to be completely levelled and cleared by Friday.

The land will then be transformed into a green space and the community asked to take part in a consultation exercise to decide how the space should be used.
After sitting empty for more than two decades, officers from the council worked collaboratively with KLTR to gain ownership of the property through the Ownerless Property Transfer Scheme (OPTS).

As the only local authority project to be involved in a pilot of the scheme, the council avoided the obstacles normally associated with bringing ownerless properties back into public use, paying £1 and the KLTR’s external costs for the building.

The KLTR, one of Scotland’s oldest state institutions, formally launched the OPTS on 1 March this year to make it easier for local authorities, public bodies, and community groups to transform neglected and ownerless buildings for local benefit.

Similar to Community Asset Transfers, OPTS transfers require strong local support and a solid business case, ensuring clear public interest and community benefits. A panel of advisers evaluates each transfer.

Leader of Falkirk Council, Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn said acquiring the hotel through the scheme had helped “speed up what otherwise could have been a lengthy process”. She said: “The hotel was an eyesore that gave a negative impression of the area and was in such poor condition that it could not be renovated. As a council we were determined to fix that by taking ownership of the building and demolishing it. We’ve committed regeneration funding for Slamannan and can now work with the local community to revitalise this prominent site in the heart of the village.”

Head of Invest Falkirk, Paul Kettrick, whose team worked with the KLTR to secure the site, urged other councils with “similarly challenging buildings” to use the scheme. He added: “It’s great to see the collaborative efforts of the council and the KLTR come to fruition to remove this derelict building and provide a future opportunity to support the regeneration of the village centre.”

Bobby Sandeman, chief executive officer, KLTR, said: “I am delighted that the people of Slamannan will benefit from our new Ownerless Property Transfer Scheme by Falkirk Council ensuring that the site of the old Royal Hotel is used to benefit the local community. The scheme is off to a fantastic start and this demonstrates that, through excellent collaboration, ownerless properties across Scotland can be brought back into productive use at minimal cost. I look forward to seeing the completed site in due course.”
Funding to cover the cost of taxes, professional and legal fees and the demolition of the hotel have been secured through Falkirk Council’s £1m Regeneration Fund.

The fund aims to support infrastructure improvements and promote community-led developments in the area’s five town centres and the villages of Slamannan and Bonnybridge.

Alongside the demolition of the Royal Hotel, the fund will help restore Slamannan’s village clock, install historic interpretation boards and make public realm improvements to the village’s main parade.