Paisley has recently been named the property growth hotspot of the UK, with a 15% rise in house prices over the past year. This means the average asking price has risen by around £16,000. Why are more people flooding into Paisley and what could this mean for the town’s growth overall?
The pandemic has undoubtedly set in motion a change in all of our priorities. As many of us made the switch to work from home, it’s become apparent that city living is no longer a requirement to have a successful career. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that Paisley has become such a desirable place to live. As the Gazette reported, Curtis Chisholm, director at Cochran Dickie estate agency, said: ‘The demand for Paisley can be attributed to the fact that you can get more for your money here than in Glasgow’s West End or South Side, especially with the ease of commuting, coupled with quality homes in very desirable addresses […] Paisley is a very historical town with fabulous culture.’
All of these aspects undoubtedly come into play here. Paisley has a wealth of transport links which make it easy to travel elsewhere for work, as well as giving buyers better value. Plus, the lockdown has made many of us realise the importance of a good work-life balance. More space, particularly outdoors, is fast becoming what we all crave after being locked down for a year. With parks and countryside woven into the town just as much as the High Street and residential areas, it makes sense that people have turned to Paisley following the change of lifestyle the pandemic has given us. Many people will be choosing somewhere they can take their dog or children on a walk surrounded by nature, whilst still being able to travel to cities when they need to. It’s not far to the seaside either, and as we’ve all been limited to at-home holidays, easy access to summer days out may continue to appeal to people for years to come. What’s more, as we all spend more time in the place we live, a town with a cultural background such as Paisley is not something people will be shying away from. The Paisley boom hopefully points to a move away from being a workaholic society, and towards enjoyment of greener areas and historic locations, without being too far from pubs, restaurants and local shops.
Many companies are hinting that in a post-pandemic world, working from home, at least part-time, will not be as rare as before. Speaking to a friend recently, he said he’d been offered a move to London in his new job before the first lockdown, but after working for the company from home for all this time, the company have realised he can do the majority of work from home, and only has to pop down once a month or so. Previously, moving to hotspots like Manchester and London was often a given for those wanting to pursue careers in publishing, journalism, accounting and so on, but now these sectors are changing which will hopefully give us all more flexibility to live where we want to, taking into consideration distance to family and leisure activities, rather than just how the location will affect our careers.
Ideally, this property boom in Paisley will mean great things for the town, particularly as it coincides with other exciting projects like the refurbishment of Paisley Museum and Coats Observatory. With it becoming an increasingly desirable place to live, we must ensure that means we are all not just living here, but spending here. If everyone moving to (or back to) Paisley consciously bought from local businesses, this property boom could lead to growth in many other sectors and see the rejuvenation of many other buildings and areas. This would make for an even more vibrant, bustling, and culturally rich town than the one we know and love now. The author of the article is Rachel Campbell