Grangemouth Celebrates 150 Years as a Burgh

That the Parliament recognises the 150th anniversary of Grangemouth being granted Burgh status; understands that Grangemouth, or Sealock as it was originally known, was founded by Sir Lawrence Dundas in 1768, with the name then changed to Grangeburnmouth in 1781 by his son Thomas Dundas during a period of re-planning; considers the historical importance of Grangemouth through the last 150 years in carving its place in the transport and trade of goods and the industrial revolution; understands that the canal aided Grangemouth’s success in this sector due to a number of factors including high shipping tariffs at the Port of Leith, meaning boat traffic would travel through Grangemouth instead, the realignment of the River Carron to support deeper bottomed vessels, founding of coal mines increasing trade to the Baltic States, and trade from the reputable Carron Company increasing shipping opportunities across the world; considers that the canal supported over 3,000 trade journeys during the 1830s, and that, by 1936, production had increased massively to transport around 3,250,000 tons of goods a year; understands that in 1914 trade shipping at Grangemouth Docks was stopped and the docks renamed as HMS Rameses by the military for the duration of the First World War; highlights what it sees as the important role that Central Scotland Airport played in both the Second World War and for use by the Royal Air Force, where it served as a civilian air navigation school, a base for several airplanes in the war efforts, an operational training unit during the war, a gliding school and finally by the Royal Air Force as RAF Grangemouth from 1946 to 1955; acknowledges that the original two townships were almost totally demolished in the 1960s as a result of what it believes were poor planning decisions, with the town being rebuilt to accommodate residential and industrial needs; acknowledges what it sees as the importance of Grangemouth in contributing to global energy markets through INEOS petrochemical, oil and gas refinery and Calachem chemical, pharmaceutical and manufacturing plant; commends the recent achievements of community groups and organisations in Grangemouth on their completion of initiatives such as the Zetland Park regeneration project and refurbishment of community premises for food banks, support and activities for all, and celebrates the 150th anniversary of Grangemouth being granted Burgh status and its twinning status with La Porte, Indiana, USA.