Kinneil Museum will stay open for at least another two years

Falkirk Council has proposed that Kinneil Museum, on the outskirts of Bo'ness, be moved to a better site.

However, a survey carried out by the authority stated that 89% of respondents wanted to see it retained.

Campaigners have welcomed the result, but the council's concerns about dropping visitor numbers have remained.

The proposals are part of major regeneration plans for Bo'ness, which include refurbishing the local Hippodrome cinema and using it as a heritage focal point during the day.

What we don't want to see is the museum run down Adrian Mahoney Friends of Kinneil

Opponents to the plan are concerned that the museum's collection could be split up and part of it sent to Falkirk.

Adrian Mahoney, chairman of Friends of Kinneil, which has attracted public support for its campaign to save the museum, said he was not surprised by the survey findings.

"What we don't want to see is the museum run down, which is something people would be unhappy about," he said.

"We would rather see people embrace it and developing it to boost visitor numbers."

The museum tells the history of the eastern end of the Antonine Wall, the most northerly frontier of the Roman empire.

Further consultation

But Falkirk Council is concerned that visitor figures, which have dropped below the average of 4,000 a year, are not showing any improvement.

The authority also said that the museum's B-listed status and privately owned cottages by Kinneil House could pose development constraints.

Council environment convener Robert Spears said further work on the future of the museum, which will stay open for at least another two years, still had to be carried out.