Fallin Minewater Thermal?

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This website has been established by Independent councillor for Fallin Alasdair MacPherson on 1st September 2025.

The purpose of the website is to provide a community learning resource for the possibility of the establishment of an exciting and groundbreaking project for Fallin Community Garden, part of Fallin Community Voice. 

During a recent visit to the Garden with Naomi Ross, I identified the potential for the project and offered my time as a volunteer to explore the feasibility of establishing a renewable energy source to heat the polytunnels and site cabins located at Fallin Community Garden, Main Street, Fallin, Stirling. 

Fallin Community Garden sits directly on top of the former Polmaise Colliery (numbers 3,4&5) which I am certain has the potential for minewater thermal renewable energy. 

Naomi discussed my offer with her fellow trustees who agreed for me to be the project lead on this, which I am absolutely thrilled about, for a lot of reasons. 

Photo courtesy of Glasgow Observatory

Feasibility & Funding

There is capital grant funding available for these projects, Local Energy Scotland being the main one, however a feasibility study of the project has to be done first. 

I served an apprenticeship as an electrician and decided to email a few friends who are still in the industry. I emailed a former apprentice of mine when I worked with FES asking him for advice and he passed my details on to OCS who bought part of FES business. I am delighted to report that OCS agreed to carry out a feasibility of the project for the local community free of charge. OCS have appointed a specialist company called G-Core Ltd who are experts in the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of ground source, water source, and air source heat pump systems.

The findings of the feasiblity should be completed by the first week in October 2025, so fingers crossed!

Findings of the Feasibility Study

It may be that the feasibility study comes back and its findings rule out the potential for geothermal project in our location, if it does then it has cost us nothing.

If the findings are positive we will move to applying for grant funding and match funders as a lot of funders don’t give 100% for capital projects. 

I have agreed to report the progress of the feasibility of the project to Naomi, Fallin Community Voice’s Development Officer Nikki Thomas and the rest of the trustees at the monthly meetings of Fallin Community Voice, which is chaired by Michelle Robertson. 

Photo credit:Glasgow Observatory

Conclusion 

Based on my research, I’m quietly confident the feasibility study findings will be positive and this project can come to fruition. If so, our project would be the first community owned minewater thermal projects in Scotland and the UK.

This project would also be a fantastic learning opportunity for our school kids and possible jobs and training opportunities for local people.

Finally, lots of us lost our loved ones in Polmaise collieries 1-4, some of them are remembered in the memorial in front of the Community Garden and it’s fantastic to think that the our miners hard work may have left an invaluable inheritance – a renewable and very green way of heating for generations to come.

Photo of Polmaise 3&4 memorial courtesy of Healy’s Hero website. 

Councillor Alasdair MacPherson, September 2025