SNP Joy At Helix Victory

The architects of the victorious Helix programme, the previous SNP leadership of Falkirk Council have welcomed the Big Lottery decision to award the Falkirk Helix project a record breaking £25m lottery grant as "a huge piece of the jigsaw for Falkirk district".

Speaking to the local media SNP Group leader David Alexander, the leader of the council when the process commenced in 2002 said,

"Words can not describe how I feel at this news. In 2002 we looked at the area with a view to making some changes to promote our green agenda and so the Eco Woodland became a reality.

However, as ambition levels in Falkirk were raised as we developed the My Future's in Falkirk strategy so to our ambition for the Gateway site and so the Helix began to grow and grow and grow as a concept.

The support and participation from and with the community was fantastic as it was made clear the community shared our vision of making Falkirk district a better place to live work and play.

However, what is most satisfying and what the judges indicated in conversation they recognised was that the Helix project was one that did not sit alone, it was one project in a wider regeneration strategy of entire Falkirk district area. The fact many of the other projects such as the regeneration of our district town centres are already moving ahead at pace was significant in our success.

The fact all of the other Scottish bids dropped out before the final stage is also testimony to the quality of our bid and I am hugely proud to have led the council through 95% of the way through this process."

Work is due to commence in 2008 on the site that will include 750,000 planted trees, walkways, habitat for wildlife, a marina, linking the Forth and Clyde Canal to Grangemouth and the striking Kelpies.

Said Councillor Alexander

"Falkirk deserves this award because for many years the only ambition being shown in Scotland was coming from the Falkirk Council area.

Now we have a government in Edinburgh that matches the ambition and vision shown by the SNP led Administration in Falkirk and so matching our list of achievements of four new High Schools, the Falkirk Stadium, the Town Centre regeneration programme and now the Helix will be an impossible task for the Labour / Tory coalition who now sit in our place."