Article Source: Renfrewshire Council
Last Updated: 24 January 2020 13:29
The ‘Vision for Paisley Town Centre 2030’ is the result of a unique link-up between Renfrewshire Council, the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Town Partnership – and uses Paisley as a test case for a series of bold ideas imagining how empty retail space could be better used.
Aileen Campbell, Scotland’s Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government, will officially unveil the report at an event in the town centre today.
The study – produced by Glasgow-based Threesixty Architecture – is based on the idea changes to the way people shop have left towns like Paisley with far more retail space than they need.
The authors lay out a series of radical ideas for how the town could be rebalanced to better meet community need – bringing with it new life and footfall. Their suggestions include:
• introducing hundreds of new town centre residents, including repurposing the Paisley Centre shopping centre into a new residential quarter with ground-floor retail;
• new ‘attractors’ such as a High Street cinema, or European-style food hall housing independent food and drink businesses;
• bolstering remaining retail by concentrating it back on to the High Street and street-fronts;
• new public spaces for outdoor activity, and new lanes and streets creating new views and routes to ‘hidden’ parts of the town centre
• how key vacant historic buildings such as the Liberal Club, YMCA building and TA Building could be brought back into use;
• other ideas such as shared office spaces or makers’ spaces, a new hotel, and relocating parts of university and college campuses into the heart of the town centre;
Cabinet Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “This study represents another significant milestone in the regeneration of Paisley and is further evidence of the ambition and commitment of the local community and partners.
“A huge opportunity now exists to use this collaborative vision to create more positive change in the town, as well as sharing learning which can benefit other town centres and communities across Scotland.
“The Scottish Government will continue to work in partnership with local government to support the regeneration of our towns and high streets.”
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “The way people shop has changed forever, and towns everywhere are seeing the same issues with empty retail space.
“We can’t turn the clock back but we can consider how we could change to attract new life and footfall in future – and that’s what Paisley is doing.
“It’s important to stress these are not concrete plans – they are a set of ideas designed to spark a conversation about what might be possible over the next decade.
“Paisley town centre is already changing for the better – the number of new cafes and restaurants and new housing built in recent years shows it is recognised as a good place to live and invest.
“Current and future council investment will make Paisley even more attractive to the private sector, but change of the scale imagined by the Vision could not be achieved by the council alone – so we want to hear from developers who could make that next stage of the journey happen.”
The contents of the report build on work already happening to use Paisley’s unique cultural and heritage story to transform its future through the Future Paisley programme, which aims to build on the momentum created by the town’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021.
That includes a £100m investment in the town’s venues and outdoor spaces, including turning Paisley Museum into a world-class destination for the town’s internationally-significant collections, which last week saw £3.8m of funding confirmed from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Paisley is already finding new uses for vacant High Street spaces - construction will start soon to bring a formerly-empty retail unit back into use as a new learning and cultural hub housing library services, for which the first images have just been revealed.
That will build on the success of Paisley: The Secret Collection – the UK’s first publicly-accessible High Street museum store, which opened in 2017 – showing Paisley’s ambitions to put culture at the heart of its future high street are already being realised.
The Paisley Vision was produced after gathering feedback from key local partners – including community groups, businesses, educational establishments and private developers.
The idea for a High Street cinema is already being taken forward by a local group – the Paisley Community Trust – who, with support from the council, are developing their own plans to convert an existing building for that purpose.
Gary Kerr, chair of the Paisley Community Trust, said: “It’s exciting to see such a transformational and radical vision for Paisley’s future revealed. Paisley Community Trust fully back this new vision for Paisley and we congratulate Threesixty Architecture on producing a superb piece of work.
“It’s particularly encouraging to see cinema at the forefront of the vision. This completely aligns with our current plans to bring cinema back to the heart of our town.
“We believe a cinema by and for our community is a vital first step in realising the wider vision for regeneration in the town centre. It’s Project One if you like.
“We’ve been working behind the scenes on it for a while now and will reveal more details very soon. We also look forward to seeing the other concepts from the vision being explored and developed into regeneration projects of their own in the years ahead.”
Colette Cardosi, chair of town centre business improvement district Paisley First, added: “In recent years, Paisley has found itself firmly back on the map with fantastic events for visitors and a growing number of independent businesses.
“However, like many towns throughout the country, we need to continuously adapt and evolve and Paisley First welcomes collaboration on any long-term strategy for the future which can help bring in new investment and new footfall to local businesses in Paisley town centre.”
Phil Prentice, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, added: “Paisley has a rich tapestry of heritage and culture, is steeped in industry and tradition, and has many major assets.
“We hope this exciting blueprint can create a high street fit for 21st century citizens and Paisley can become an exemplar for other large towns across Scotland.”
Residents and businesses have the chance to see and give their views on the Paisley Vision plans for themselves at a public exhibition open in POP (the former Post Office) in the town’s Piazza shopping centre – on Friday 24 (1 to 4.30pm), Saturday 25 (9.30am to 4.30pm) and Monday 27 January (9.30am to 3pm).
The full report can also be viewed online at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/paisleyvision, along with a Q&A which goes into more details on the ideas it contains and what happens next.
Environmentally conscious individuals are being asked to volunteer for a new community taskforce to help protect Renfrewshire's rich riverbank habitats.
READ MOREPaisley's Spring Farmyard Trail is coming to Paisley town centre from Friday the 29th of March until Monday 15th of April.
READ MOREHistoric Environment Scotland (HES) has announced that over twenty sites across the country are set to reopen their doors to visitors this weekend.
READ MOREJoin Diabetes Scotland for a virtual event about an exciting new programme supporting children and young people 11 - 25 living with type 1 diabetes - Together Type 1.
READ MORENoughties stars The Cheeky Girls, Gareth Gates and S Club 7's Bradley McIntosh have taken a sip back in time to mark the release of IRN-BRU's new 2000s-inspired flavours!
READ MOREGP Racing Simulators will incorporate 10 professional grade racing simulators, each equipped with a racing seat, steering wheel, pedals and a 43" monitor, alongside a licensed bar and dining complex.
READ MORERenfrewshire has honoured local groups and volunteers for their work in the community at the Provost's Community Awards.
READ MOREDobbies is welcoming families along to 68 of its stores this Easter to enjoy an array of free activities, including its Little Seedlings Club workshop and Easter Holiday sessions.
READ MOREThe search is on to find the best of the best in Scottish tourism as the Scottish Thistles Awards returns.
READ MOREPaisley's Learning and Cultural Hub has won a national award. The new home for Paisley Central Library won the physical category at the EDGE Awards.
READ MOREThe Easter weekend is going to be eggs-tra special at Cardwell Garden Centre this year.
READ MOREThis year's FREE Springfest is playing host to two great Scottish chefs – Niall Murray and Rohan Wadke, who will inspire visitors with their FREE cooking demonstrations.
READ MOREA host of brand-new family favourites are landing at Vue this Easter, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to spend quality family time at the big screen during the holidays.
READ MOREGroups connected with the refurbishment of Paisley Museum are celebrating today after picking up an honour at the Smiley Charity Film Awards in London.
READ MORESpring is in the air and with it comes the return of one of Scotland's largest outdoor food and drink festivals to Paisley!
READ MOREDozens of people gathered together for a song and a chat at a Saturday Get-Together event in the Methodist Central Hall, Paisley.
READ MOREFull cast and creatives announced for the tour of Maggie & Me, the first stage adaptation of Damian Barr's award-winning memoir touring UK in May and June!
READ MOREThe refurbishment of Paisley Museum has won a prestigious international award, recognising the significant role the project is playing in the town and wider region’s cultural regeneration.
READ MOREDobbies today launches Dobbies Community Gardens, to offer support for community and charity groups across the UK to help transform, restore or start their indoor or outdoor green spaces.
READ MOREA sinister story involving 'stovies' and a grisly tale about the strange sheep of Greshornish have been chosen as the winning and runner-up stories in The Glencairn Glass crime short story competition
READ MOREThe National Trust for Scotland is going hopping mad for Easter and hosting a bumper 35 Easter egg trails at the special places in its care this spring.
READ MOREMore than one hundred children attended the West of Scotland's Parasport Festival, which took place at On-X Linwood on Monday 4th March.
READ MOREGreat Run 2024 series highlights inspirational stories from runners around the UK.
READ MOREDobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is bringing back its much-loved Easter event, inviting families to hop along to their nearest store and enjoy an Easter Bunny Breakfast egg-stravaganza.
READ MOREFriday 8th March marks International Women's Day and to celebrate Vue is set to screen four inspiring films which follow the achievements of incredible female leads.
READ MORENew research released by VisitScotland reveals the growing popularity of Scottish traditional music, finding that over a third of Scots (34%) are listening to it more often in the past year.
READ MORERenfrewshire's Big Spring Clean is back for another year, with litter picks set to take place throughout March and April.
READ MOREA stellar line-up of authors are set to take Paisley by storm at this year's Paisley Book Festival in April!
READ MOREThe AJ Bell Great Scottish Run is back on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th October, and the Earlybird offer to save up to £8 off your entry ends this Friday 1st March at 10am.
READ MOREOneRen's Spring Kids Camps are set to return, bringing plenty of fun-filled action for children and young people during the school holidays.
READ MOREGo Radio | Number 1 for Glasgow & The West - Listen on DAB, Online or on your Smart Speaker, just say "Launch Go Radio"