Green light for distillery plan

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Plans for a whisky distillery in Falkirk have been given the go ahead by the local authority.

The multi-million pound development will also include a visitor centre, restaurant, shops and a bonded warehouse.

The proposals were put forward by The Falkirk Distillery Company, owned by Fiona and Alan Stewart.

Scottish ministers will now consider whether to give the development final approval.

The distillery would be the first to operate in the town since the famed Rosebank Distillery was shut in 1993.

Despite receiving 71 letters of support, the application did receive objections from some locals who felt the proposed site, on undeveloped land next to Grandsable Cemetery, was inappropriate.

Historic Scotland also raised objections about the development's proximity to the Antonine Wall, which was recently given World Heritage Status.

Rosebank Distillery, which was situated beside the Forth and Clyde Canal and dated from the 1840s, produced a triple-distilled single malt. The bottles currently sell for more than £200.

Suggestions that the product produced at the proposed new distillery might carry the Rosebank name have been denied by Diageo, which owns the trademark.