Shaped by feedback from nearly 300 residents, businesses and community groups, the draft sets out ideas for how the town centre could develop over the next 20 years.

Proposals include ways to make more of the foreshore and harbour, redeveloping the bus station and Market Square, and creating stronger links between the waterfront and town centre. 
 
At the meeting, members of the Executive will be asked to agree that a final phase of community engagement is carried out on the draft masterplan. This would give local people another opportunity to influence the plan, ensuring it reflects the priorities identified during earlier engagement work. A final version would then be brought back to committee for consideration in early 2026. 

One of the key themes in the draft plan focuses on the foreshore and how it could be used more effectively. Ideas put forward include developing the area as part of a long-term vision for an East Central Scotland Coastal Park - a waterfront space that brings together the foreshore, harbour and docks, creating opportunities for recreation, events and improved access to the water. 
 
The bus station and Market Square are also highlighted as areas that could be improved, with the aim of developing them into welcoming gateways and flexible spaces for markets and community activities. 
  
The draft also suggests a business and community-led approach could be developed to harness Bo’ness’ tourism potential. This includes the idea of a destination development group to co-ordinate promotion, better overnight accommodation such as hotels, self-catering and campervan facilities, and stronger links with attractions including the Hippodrome, Kinneil Estate and the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway. 
  
Another theme in the draft looks at how connections could be improved both within Bo’ness and to and from the town. This covers easier links between the town centre and foreshore, better walking and cycling connections to the John Muir Way and National Cycle Route, improved public transport options, and clearer signage and wayfinding to help residents and visitors move around more easily. 
  
Other proposals focus on the role of culture and community. Welcome packs for new residents would encourage people to shop locally and connect with the town from day one, while investment in the Town Hall and library would reinforce their role as cultural hubs.  

Alongside the draft proposals, £500,000 from the Council’s Regeneration Fund has been earmarked to support early priority projects. Decisions on how the money is used will be shaped through further community engagement to agree where investment should be made.  
 
This sits alongside recent investment in the town, including £4.3m for a new sports wing at Bo’ness Academy, £600,000 for harbour wall repairs, £415,000 for improvements to the library, £150,000 for works at Kinneil Estate, £150,000 to restore the Town Hall cupola, and £800,000 to upgrade Snab Brae. 

Malcolm Bennie, director of place services, Falkirk Council, said: “Bo’ness is a town with a rich history, a beautiful coastal setting and a strong community. This masterplan builds on those strengths to create a clear and exciting vision for the future, backed up by potentially £500,000 of investment. 
 
“The masterplan outlines the importance of making Bo’ness shine as the jewel of the Forth, giving residents and visitors more reasons to spend time in the town centre and creating new opportunities for the future.

“Crucially, it reflects what local people have told us so far, and the next stage - if agreed by the Executive - would give the local community another chance to shape the plan before it is brought back to committee for consideration and approval.”