Falkirk Town Hall could close its doors for good after this year's pantomime run as a proposal to refurbish it would cost millions while the building would still not be fit for purpose.
That's the verdict of a report going to a meeting of Falkirk Council next Wednesday, containing proposals it is hoped will win support after years of stalemate between political parties locally.
A year ago, opposition councillors rejected SNP proposals for a new HQ and arts centre in Falkirk High Street and instead instructed officials to look at building a new standalone office on the old Westbank Clinic site and refurbishing the existing FTH.
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The report spells out the huge complexities - and massive costs - of keeping FTH where it is, making clear that it will cost millions to be left with a building that would still not be fit for purpose.
It also firmly rejects the option to build a stand-alone office on the site of the old Westbank Clinic, beside the current town hall.
Malcolm Bennie, Falkirk Council's Director of Place Services, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "The assessments that we've done show that to build the new office would be approximately £33 million.
"You'd also be looking at £2.3 million to disentangle the existing Falkirk Town Hall from the municipal buildings and then you'd need to spend around about £4 million doing necessary repairs.
"And at the end of all that investment you would still have a building that was not fit for purpose for modern productions and you would still have a building that did not get anywhere close to being net zero.
"It's the view of officers that that does not represent good value for money."
The complexity of the disentanglement would also mean that, whatever happens, FTH would need to close for a year to allow the work to take place.
Mr Bennie added: "In addition, if we clear the existing site completely - including Falkirk Town Hall - we can sell that site for in the region of £5 million, possibly more.
"But if we leave the town hall on that site we may as well forget about that £5 million - we won't achieve it because it won't be a big enough site for a housebuilder."
Selling the site, he says, will have another major benefit.
"It will allow us to bring 100 new homes to that location which could bring up to 300 new people into the town centre, who will naturally make use of the High Street."
Since the last big decision to reject plans for an HQ and arts centre, an election has taken place which means half of the councillors now in post were not part of any previous decisions.
There have been other big changes: working from home is now common in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, while construction costs have soared and are showing no signs of easing.
The report going in front of councillors makes clear that there is a commitment to replacing the town hall - but unlike previous plans, there will be no offices at all.
If approval is given to close FTH after this year's pantomime run, Mr Bennie's hope is that its replacement will be built on Falkirk's High Street, although that will be a decision for another day.
In the meantime, there is a plan to replace FTH's shows with a programme of events spread across the district that they hope will win over any doubters.
Mr Bennie said: "Rather than trying to put on productions in a building that's slowly deteriorating and no longer fit for purpose, we're saying let's take a proactive approach."
That will involve spending £200,000 to put on a programme of community events using venues including Bo'ness and Grangemouth town halls. There are also plans to have outdoor theatre in the council-owned parks and use schools and community halls.
"It's actually makes arts and heritage much more accessible to lots of communities," said Mr Bennie.
The report acknowledges that several community groups use the town hall, so there will be an allocation of £10,000 of funding to help them offset additional costs during the closure.
A further £50,000 would be allocated from Falkirk Council's Change Fund that will be used to attract external match funding.
"If elected members decide to approve it, we'll develop it as we go on but I think it offers a really good opportunity to mitigate the impacts of closing Falkirk Town Hall," said Mr Bennie.
But he stresses that this is not intended as a long-term replacement for a venue that will serve the whole district.
"We continue to have a commitment to delivering an arts venue for the Falkirk area - this is a pragmatic approach to us getting there."
The decision on what will replace the town hall is one for another day - but the council maintains that an arts facility will help reduce retail in the town centre, while making it a more vibrant place that will attract people.
Falkirk Council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, said: "Town centres have to offer something different and we know that people want activity, they want entertainment, they want hospitality and that's what we need to develop to help sustain what retail is there."
After years of disagreements, the big question is whether enough councillors will support the officers' recommendations.
Cllr Meiklejohn is hopeful that councillors will want to work together to take the plans forward.
She said: "I think there is a recognition of how difficult it is in the town centre right now and a recognition that the council has to take a lead role in doing something.
"Hopefully this will be a good first phase - getting agreement round the site, then the progression to looking towards the future."
