The final closure of Falkirk Town Hall (FTH) is set to go ahead - but will be delayed to allow the children's theatre group Big Bad Wolf to go ahead with its show in February.
The minority SNP administration agreed to support an amendment from the Conservative group urging Falkirk Council to delay the closure.
The council's director of Place Services, Malcolm Bennie, wanted councillors to put an end to years of wrangling over a replacement for Falkirk's town hall and the adjoining municipal buildings, which are currently being demolished.
The report made clear that any new building would not contain any office space and would instead be a new town hall, containing a theatre, rather than the long talked about HQ and arts centre.
He said that FTH would need to close for a year to safely disentangle it from the municipal buildings at a cost of £2.4 million, before repairs that would cost another £4 million.
But his plan to close FTH after the pantomime finishes in December met with outrage from local members of the arts community, who said they had been "blindsided" by the news.
At a meeting of Falkirk Council today (Wednesday), Amy Sutherland from Falkirk Operatic Society told councillors that her company stood to lose thousands of pounds as their sets, costumes and performing licence was already paid for.
She spoke eloquently about the impact that the loss of FTH would have on members of her group and others and said that a closure of five to ten years would mean groups would almost certainly not survive.
She warned councillors that many would go to other local authorities to spend their money in their facilities, fatally damaging arts and culture in Falkirk.
Mr Bennie said he had sympathy with local groups but he added: "If Covid has taught us anything it's that we can find solutions to problems and do so at pace.
He pledged to look at alternatives such as moving lighting from FTH into a venue such as Grangemouth Town Hall and working with the schools to come up with an arrangement that would mean local societies could use their facilities more easily.
He warned the condition of FTH is so poor there was a real danger that shows would be disrupted the building's failure and urged councillors to support a "managed and planned closure".
The council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, supported Mr Bennie and urged members to support the proposals, saying the decision making in the past five years had been "like wading through treacle".
She said: "Delay is not an option - we've had five years of delay for delay's sake and it gives a lack of credibility to the council. This is a difficult decision - it's not easy to make - but there is compelling evidence and the best thing is a managed closure."
But Labour councillors had been taken aback by the speed of the proposals and they along with the Independents on council were not prepared to support the plan without any concrete plans for what would go in its place.
Labour group leader Anne Hannah criticised the lack of consultation with opposition groups as well as local arts groups and said it was vital to see the proposal for the replacement before making any decision.
And she said it was vital to see the proposal for the replacement before making any decision.
Councillors also considered proposals from the Non-Aligned Independent Group. They did not support the proposal to close the town hall and wanted members to urgently commission a revised business case for a new Council HQ and Civic Centre facility.
Councillor Robert Spears said his plea was for councillors to "think bigger" and not just settle for some "small town theatre in a backwater".
They also condemned the amount of £10,000 that had been promised to help local groups survive the closure of FTH.
Labour group leader Cllr Hannah said she was also concerned at the lack of information about proposals for the new arts centre and made a plea for officers to bring detailed proposals to the next meeting of council.
However, Councillor James Kerr said that after careful consideration the Conservative group would support closure of the town hall.
"We want the best for Falkirk, including supporting local businesses and creating jobs, sustainable support for the arts and a town hall that acts as a hub for the local community," he said.
His group's amendment that the closure should happen after the Big Bad Wolf company's show and they also proposed that there should be more consultation with voluntary groups about any financial support that would be given.
The closure of Falkirk Town Hall and a replacement programme of community performances was agreed with SNP and Conservative councillors voting in favour.
