Town marks opening of £7m centre

THE new £7 million Bathgate Partnership Centre has officially opened.

Lindsay House was opened by West Lothian’s executive councillor for culture and leisure, Jim Walker, last Friday.

The state-of-the-art building is located close to the town centre and has been described by local people as a “new heart for the town”.

It includes a library, community centre, registration office, Customer Information Services centre, advice shop, adult basic education, IT learning suite, meeting rooms and a cafe.

A highlight of the building is the landscaped community garden which has been planted as an orchard.

The opening event also confirmed the official name of the library as the Simpson Library after James Young Simpson, the famous son of Bathgate, who discovered the anaesthetic properties of chloroform.

In recognition of Bathgate’s twinning with Cran Gevrier, the registration service ceremony room has been named the Cran Gevrier Suite.

Councillor Walker said the building was a “marvellous resource, with so many services available in one location”.