A new visitor centre, to be built next to the Kelpies in Falkirk, is to open later than expected, it has been announced.

Last year, it was said that the building would open in August 2015, but this date has now been pushed back later in the year, around October.

Falkirk Council has revealed that the reason for the delay is due to additional construction work being carried out on site. On Tuesday, it was agreed by members of the executive committee to expand the size of the proposed visitor centre. An additional £160,000 from an existing budget is being provided towards the project and will allow for an increase in the area available for retail, storage and staff facilities at the centre. Featuring a café, shop, toilets and exhibition area, the overall cost of the building, including fit-out, will be around £1.8m.

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Commenting on the additional work, Councillor Adrian Mahoney, Falkirk Council's spokesperson for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing the new building being completed. Work is progressing well on site and hopefully we will be operational later this year.

"The centre will provide welcome new facilities to the Helix Park to deal with the huge numbers of people visiting the site and seeing the awesome Kelpies."

The Falkirk Community Trust, which will run the visitor centre on behalf of partners Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals, will continue to provide temporary visitor facilities while work is ongoing at Helix Park. Services include a ticket office, enhanced retail offers, public toilets and temporary catering provision.

(JP/IT)