Renfrewshire Council Archives

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson - high-res

Renfrewshire business leaders will recommend a strategy to support the region’s future economic success this autumn.

Members of the region’s Economic Leadership Panel have been working together on the proposals which will underpin the approach over the coming years.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson - high-res

The panel was set up in 2017 drawing from leaders across the private and public sector, enterprise agencies and education and skills experts.

This brings together major local employers including Glasgow Airport, Hillington Park, Intu Braehead and DXC Technology, as well as SMEs and microbusiness, Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce, West College Scotland and the University of the West of Scotland.

“I’m incredibly proud of what Renfrewshire has to offer locally, nationally and internationally,” explains Economic Leadership Panel Chair James Lang, Director of Bridge of Weir-based Scottish Leather Group.

“There’s a strong collective pride in our place across the panel and we are all determined to deliver a bright future for Renfrewshire. The panel has been looking at the key sectors to the region and identifying how we make Renfrewshire a prosperous place to live, visit, work and invest, a place which leaves no-one behind.

“Once we present these plans for the council’s consideration, that is just the beginning. For the strategy to succeed everyone will need to play their part and having this panel ensures we can keep communicating, evaluating and adjusting the strategy as we move forward.”

James Lang

Panel members have been considering how to grow key sectors of the local economy. This includes manufacturing, which already accounts for one-fifth of the area’s economic output and employs 9000 people, with the potential for significant growth to make Renfrewshire one of the largest locations for manufacturing industries in the UK.

The strategy will also set out how Renfrewshire can improve its competitiveness and capitalise on £1.4billion being invested in world-class research and development facilities, infrastructure and skills, while thousands of new homes being built here will support growing the working age population.

Renfrewshire Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “We have high levels of employment in Renfrewshire and have committed substantial investment to grow the economy, creating new neighbourhoods to live in, new jobs to work in and new places to visit. Combined with our proud heritage, as a place rich in creativity and innovation, we have fantastic foundations to build upon.

“We face significant challenges and barriers too, not least areas of persistent poverty and we know that the only way to achieve inclusive economic growth is through collaboration and by listening to what our communities tell us they need.

“I look forward to seeing the strategy brought forward for the council’s consideration later in the year and know that working together we can ensure a thriving Renfrewshire.”

17/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

Town centres across Renfrewshire are to receive a £1.46m cash boost – the bulk of which could transform key sites in the heart of Johnstone and Renfrew.

The sum was made available to the area earlier this year as part of the Scottish Government’s £50m Town Centre Capital Fund – aimed at bringing vacant buildings back into use, improving infrastructure and supporting community-led regeneration.

renfrew centre

And councillors on the leadership board will this week be asked to approve a list of suggested projects for where the money will be spent.

That includes a total of around £750k for three projects helping community groups bring vacant buildings back to life:

– to help Active Communities bring the former police station in Johnstone’s Quarry Street back into use as a community hub;

– to help PACE Youth Theatre move forward with their ongoing work to create a new performance base for their 2,000 students and performers in a vacant property in Paisley;

– to support a social enterprise to turn the former toilet block in Renfrew’s Robertson Park into a cycle hub;

johnstone centre

Other proposed projects include around £460k for town centre presentation and travel links:

– investment in CCTV, lighting and wayfinding in Renfrew’s Robertson Park to boost the use of the town centre park in the evenings, and help connect the town centre and nearby neighbourhoods to the Paisley/Renfrew Riverside cycle network;

– money for lighting improvements to the areas around Johnstone’s Houstoun Square and Renfrew’s town hall and cenotaph, to improve the night-time environment;

– to repurpose vacant shop units in Renfrew’s Dunlop Crescent to create a council-run hub for business start-ups;

– funding for gap sites in Johnstone, focussed on the area around High St/George St/MacDowall St;

The remaining £250k will be used as a fund to support the refurbishment and reuse of vacant town centre properties across all town centres.

It was decided to prioritise Johnstone and Renfrew for the funding – as Paisley is already benefiting from major investment, and there are limited numbers of projects in Erskine or Linwood town centres that would have been eligible for the fund.

If approved work could get under way soon on all of the above – the funding is to be used in the financial year 2020/21, with work to have started or be agreed in the current year.

Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “Town centres are vital to the way we live and identify with our places but this funding recognises that recent years have been tough for towns.

“The rise of the internet and out-of-town retail have changed how people shop, and left empty buildings and sites in towns everywhere – so town centres need to evolve if they are to thrive.

“This funding is aimed at making that happen by helping bring buildings back into a condition where new uses can be found for them, and make towns more attractive for people to spend time – and the projects we are proposing will do that.

“Paisley is already benefitting from £100m of investment in venues and outdoor spaces – including transformations of its museum and town hall – which will build on the work already being done to make it one of Scotland’s key destinations for culture and events.

“This fund will help bring some of the same benefits to Johnstone and Renfrew and elsewhere, while also supporting some very good community-led regeneration projects.”

17/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

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Child poverty initiatives boost incomes of struggling families in Renfrewshire by almost £2million in one year

Two initiatives designed to tackle child poverty in Renfrewshire have helped boost the incomes of struggling families and households by a total of almost £2million in one year.

Families First, a service that provides low-income households with health and relationship support as well as money and benefits advice, has generated £1,114,234 for 413 struggling families, while Healthier, Wealthier Children put £885,526 in the pockets of new and expectant parents in Renfrewshire between April 2018 and March 2019.

child poverty

Both initiatives receive funding from Renfrewshire Council’s Tackling Poverty Programme.

The programme, which was set up in 2014 following the ground-breaking Tackling Poverty Commission, has made significant investment in projects and activities to reduce child poverty, with the council announcing a further £5million funding for the initiative over five years in March 2018.

Projects within the programme are designed to provide support for families that need it most, remove barriers to participation for children and young people, and support health and wellbeing for young people.

Council Leader Iain Nicolson said: “We are committed to ensuring that all children in Renfrewshire have the best start in life no matter what their background.

“Our Tackling Poverty Programme was the first of its kind in Scotland and the work we have been doing through the programme, in our schools and in partnership with other organisations is making a real difference to the lives of children in Renfrewshire and families who are struggling to make ends meet.

“Families First and the Healthier, Wealthier Children Service are helping ensure low-income families in Renfrewshire have enough money coming in to make their child’s early years the best they can be.”

The figures were released as Renfrewshire Council published its Local Child Poverty Action Report.

The report, which has been developed in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, highlights the work the council and its partners are doing to improve the lives of children in poverty and address the Scottish Government’s three key drivers of child poverty: income from employment, costs of living and income from social security and benefits in kind.

Highlights include:

Invest in Renfrewshire’s work to boost the local economy and tackle unemployment, which has led to Renfrewshire’s employment rate being significantly higher than the national average
The number of Living Wage accredited employers in Renfrewshire rising to 57
The Energy Advocacy Service securing £116,253 in ongoing savings and £103,638 in write-offs for Renfrewshire’s most vulnerable citizens
Education Scotland commending the council for its ‘excellent’ progress in closing the poverty related attainment gap in schools

The Council Leader added: “It’s fantastic to see the positive impact the work being done to tackle child poverty and improve the lives of children in Renfrewshire is having.

“We still have work to do but if we keep working together with our partners we can continue to make a difference in the lives of families across Renfrewshire.”

Child poverty in Renfrewshire is currently in line with the national average of 24%.

If you are struggling and need support and advice, there are a number of services in Renfrewshire you can contact, including Advice Renfrewshire. For more information, visit http://advicerenfrewshire.org/ or call FREEPHONE 0808 164 2922.

For more information on the Tackling Poverty Programme and Renfrewshire’s Local Child Poverty Action Report, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk.

14/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

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New homes planned for final phase of development on former Arnotts site

New social housing is set to be built on the site of the former Arnotts department store in Paisley, bringing even more new residents into the town centre and its businesses.

Park Lane Developments LLP – the joint venture company which owns the land – is planning to partner with a social landlord to turn the undeveloped north half of the site into 60 flats offering a mix of social, private and shared equity housing.

arnotts north

A report going before the council’s leadership board next week reveals work could start as soon as summer 2020 on what would be the fourth and final phase of development on the site, which was empty for more than a decade after Arnotts shut in 2003.

Since 2014, the listed facade on Gauze St was brought back into use as new apartments and Pendulum restaurant, while Link Housing have opened 31 new flats on Lawn St and are due to finish work on 26 new flats on Smithhills Street by spring 2020.

The joint venture company paused marketing on the north half of the site in June 2018 to allow the Paisley Community Trust to work on a business case for their proposed Baker Street theatre and cinema complex, which they wanted to build on that site. The trust has been given more than £40,000 by Renfrewshire Council to develop their business plans over the years.

The trust recently submitted a proposal to the joint-venture company to buy the site but this no longer included a cinema/theatre being built there. Instead they proposed using adapted shipping containers for temporary uses while they worked on plans and funding for a possible longer-term commercial development.

arnotts north

The joint venture company was of the view this proposal was not a good use for the site in a town which already has a number of vacant commercial units, and did not provide sufficient clarity about how the long-term development would be delivered or funded.

Having considered all options and on the basis demand is likely to be there for a housing development, the joint venture company decided this would deliver the greatest benefit for the people of the town. The trust have now withdrawn their proposal for the site.

The council has been working with the Paisley Community Trust since 2014 to help them develop their plans for a cinema – and will continue to do so by helping them find other sites and vacant buildings in the town centre which could be brought back into use.

Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson said: “These proposals will finally, after 16 years, fill the largest gap site in the town centre and one visible to millions of rail passengers a year at the gateway to the town.

“Crucially, it will also see a large number of new residents living in the heart of Paisley and spending their money in the neighbouring businesses day and night, all-year round – encouraging new business to open and supporting the ones already here.

“The same is true of the other housing developments currently taking place in and around the town centre – such as on the former Carnegie’s nightclub site, at St Mirren’s former Love St home, in Wellmeadow Street, on the former Ciba-Geigy site on Hawkhead Road and more.

“Our £100m investment in venues and outdoor spaces shows the ambition we have for Paisley in terms of bringing new life and footfall here. The above shows that work is now creating conditions in which the private sector wants to invest.”

Park Lane Developments LLP was set up in 2009 to buy and oversee the development of the Arnotts site and is a limited-liability partnership between Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow-based commercial property firm Park Lane Developments.

14/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

Schools may stop for summer, but the award-winning Street Stuff programme doesn’t – and young people are being invited to take part in six weeks of activities across Renfrewshire.

Football and the Street Stuff Youth Bus are just some of the activities on offer for young people as part of a drive to keep them active over the holiday period.

All the activities are provided for free, including a healthy meal for all attendees, and will take place at Gleniffer High School, Knockhill Park, Our Lady of Peace Primary and St Mirren’s Airdome

The programme is suitable for young people aged 8 and over and consent forms should be filled out in advance where possible, although they will be available at the first session attended.

Outside of the afternoon clubs, Street Stuff’s six days a week, all-year-round timetable will continue to run at venues across Renfrewshire with evening sessions available for dance, football and the Youth Bus.

Stevie Gallacher, Street Stuff Manager, said: “We can’t wait to welcome hundreds of young people to our activities over the summer holidays.

“While you might expect every young person to be desperate to finish up, we know there are others who aren’t so eager to spend six weeks out of school, so we strive to provide a friendly, welcoming place to come along to each day.

“Our coaches and volunteers do a fantastic job making each activity exciting and it’s great to see how much the young people enjoy being a part of the Street Stuff family.”

Street Stuff is a diversionary project run in partnership between Renfrewshire Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Engage Renfrewshire and St Mirren Football Club, and has contributed to a sustained reduction of 65 percent in youth disorder and anti-social behaviour in Renfrewshire.

The programme is celebrating 10 years in the community having been established in 2009 and a series of events are being held throughout the year to celebrate the past decade, with a recent football festival at St Mirren FC’s stadium attracting more than 170 young people to play on the pitch.

Councillor Marie McGurk, Convener of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities, Housing and Planning Policy Board, said: “The Street Stuff programme saw more than 6000 young people take part over the summer holidays last year and we recognise the importance of offering this opportunity for those who need it.

“We’re committed to providing sport and exercise opportunities for all our young people and these summer clubs are a chance for them to get active and make new friends in the process.

“With the added bonus that it’s all for free, what’s stopping them going every day and having the summer of their lives!”

Outside of the holiday programmes, Street Stuff runs six days a week, all-year-round, at venues across Renfrewshire and young people aged 8 to 16 are encouraged to turn up and take part for free.

For more information, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/summerclubs or follow @SMFCStreetStuff on Facebook and Twitter.

11/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

Renfrewshire Council has proven its commitment to its workforce, following it’s recognition as a Carer Positive employer.

Carer Positive is a Scottish Government funded initiative which recognises employers who offer the best support to working carers, allowing them the flexibility they often need to continue to provide care at home for their loved ones.

Carers Award 1

Renfrewshire Council has been presented with the “engaged” level of Carer Positive, recognising the commitment made to support carers through workplace policies and practices – for example the Carers Leave Policy, introduced in 2018, which provides employees who are primary carers with access to additional paid leave to help better balance their work and caring commitments.

Employees are already experiencing these positive benefits. Zara Kerr, a Housing Assistant for Renfrewshire Council said: “We all know the importance of having a positive physical and mental health and there are now more carers trying to balance all aspects of their life.

“I’ve been able to use the Carers Leave Policy to care for my mother without having to use all of my allocated annual leave. It’s allowed me to continue with my role as her primary carer, without her feeling like a burden and without having a detrimental effect on either of our mental or physical wellbeing.”

Sue McLintock from Carer Positive, who came to Renfrewshire to present the award, said: “We are delighted to recognise Renfrewshire Council as a Carer Positive employer.

“The local authority has demonstrated a genuine commitment to supporting staff with caring responsibilities and developing a culture where they feel valued and will undoubtedly benefit in terms of their health and wellbeing. It is encouraging to see the importance placed on making life better for carers, not just within the authority, but in the wider community as well.”

Renfrewshire Council will now work towards achieving the second level of Carer Positive, involving carers in the development of the processes and policies that will best support them and establishing a Carers Peer Network Forum with the aim of enabling employees who are carers to share experiences, access training opportunities and raise awareness of local and national support available.

Councillor John Shaw, Convenor of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board, said: “Reaching the first level of the Carer Positive award is a great step for Renfrewshire Council, and shows the commitment to supporting those employees in caring roles to maintain their health, wellbeing and life beyond caring.

“I look forward to seeing the support network grow further as the Council progresses through the next two levels of Carer Positive.”

For more information on becoming a Carer Positive employer, visit www.carerpositive.org

07/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

PRIMARY school girls have been getting a kick out of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which starts this weekend.

Almost 200 girls from all over Renfrewshire took part in a festival of football organised by Renfrewshire Leisure, at Ferguslie Sports Centre.

The Primary 5 to Primary 7 pupils certainly had a ball with football coaching, games and a visit by Bonnie – the official mascot Scotland women’s team who play their first game in the top international tournament against England, on Sunday, June 9.

The event – organised to celebrate the Women’s World Cup and to encourage more girls to take part in sport – has been made possible with funding from the Scottish Building Society.

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Chair of Renfrewshire Leisure said: “It was fantastic to see all these girls enjoying a game of football and I hope it serves to whet their appetite to play even more football.

“Using the increased profile the World Cup has given women’s football, this event has built on the great work Renfrewshire Leisure’s Active Schools team has developed over the last couple of years in the girls’ game.

“We’re also working closely with a number of local grassroots clubs who now have girls sections to encourage more girls to take up the game.”

06/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

After 33 years in the hotseat, Renfrew bids farewell to Effie McGachie as she retires from the role of Community Council Chair.

A stalwart of the local community in Renfrew, her drive and enthusiasm to make the town a better place has made an immeasurable difference to the area over the past three decades.

A well-known face in Renfrew and beyond, all at Renfrewshire Council wish her a long and happy retirement – although we’re not so sure she’ll be able to stay quiet for too long!

Here’s what just some of her well-wishers had to say

Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron said: “What a fantastic asset Effie has been to the town of Renfrew in her 33 years as Chair of the Community Council.

“Through her passion and dedication, she’s made such a positive difference to the area and I was delighted to be able to present her with some tokens of our appreciation.

“I hope she enjoys a well-deserved retirement but I’m sure she’ll find it difficult to sit and twiddle her thumbs after all these years!”

Newly elected Chair of Renfrew Community Council, Callum Reid said: “Renfrew has come far because of Effie.

“Everyone you meet will have a story to tell you about Effie and her passion for the town.

“These are stories of inclusion, opportunity and love, and those 3 words are the values of our town because of our friend Effie put them at the very heart of everything she did for us.

“Thank you for everything you have done for our town and its people.”

Local Councillor for Renfrew North and Braehead, John Shaw said: “I was delighted to be able to attend Effie McGachie’s retirement presentation, a wonderful occasion shared with her friends, family and colleagues past and present.

“There can’t be many who have given more to Renfrew than Effie and for that we all owe her a very special thanks.

“I wish her well in her retirement, we all have huge shoes to fill now!”

05/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

Paisley’s annual Spree festival has today announced its biggest line-up yet – with Glasvegas, Gruff Rhys, PP Arnold and Hue and Cry among the acts coming to town this October.

The festival will take place over nine days from 11 to 19 October with the bulk of the action in a specially-erected Spiegeltent beside Paisley Gilmour Street station – and with a bigger tent than in previous years allowing 500-person shows.

Now in its eighth year, the festival is one of the centrepieces of Renfrewshire Council’s major events programme which has made Paisley one of Scotland’s key cultural destinations in recent years.

The Spree 2019 was programmed by Regular Music – who work with some of the biggest names in the industry as the team behind the Summer Nights at Kelvingrove Bandstand and the Edinburgh Castle Concerts – and is this year sponsored by Tennent’s Lager.

The festival kicks off on Friday 11 October with a tribute to one of Paisley’s most celebrated musical sons – A Gerry Rafferty Songbook, featuring Roddy Hart, Emma Pollock and Rab Noakes.

Monday 14th sees Hue and Cry in the Spiegeltent – a venue and location fitting for a band for whom one of their biggest hits, ‘Looking for Linda’, was set on a train to Paisley.

Platinum-selling indie-rockers Glasvegasperform their only full-band Scottish date of the year the next night, before Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys brings his solo show to the Spiegeltent on Wednesday 16th.

London’s First Lady of Soul PP Arnold is next up on Thursday 17^th with songs from her six-decade career working with stars including Rod Stewart and the Small Faces, Barry Gibb, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Oasis.

The Friday night sees multi-award-winning singer-songwriter Karine Polwart bring her Scottish Songbook – a collection of Scottish pop classic spanning more than 50 years.

And the festival ends on Saturday 19^th with anarchic magic from comedy headliner Jerry Sadowitz, followed by what will be a lively late-night closing party all the way from Tennessee, USA, with the inventors of ‘rockgrass’ Hayseed Dixie.

There’s also two late-night comedy shows on Friday 11^th and 18^th, headlined by Mark Nelson and Gary Little and compered by Fred MacAulay and local lad Scott Gibson.

Renfrewshire Leisure are programming Spree shows at Paisley Arts Centre, with the ones announced so far being Lost Map’s Lost Weekend Sunday Social featuring the Pictish Trail, Fell, Molly Linen and Callum Easter (Sunday 13th), Paisley in Song featuring Michael Cassidy and Andy Monahan (Frightened Rabbit) on Thursday 17^th, and ex-Arab Strap musician Malcolm Middleton plus support (Saturday 19^th).

And the Spiegeltent will also host an all-day festival within-a-festival on Saturday 12^th with LNP Promotions ever-popular ModStuffcelebration of all things Mod, for which the line-up will be confirmed soon.

Tickets for all shows go on sale at 10am on Friday 7 June via thespree.co.uk and www.ticketweb.uk

More will be added to the bill over the summer with details still to be announced for The Wee Spree – a programme of children’s entertainment over the October school holidays – and the Spree for All fringe festival, with a range of shows in other venue across Renfrewshire.

Duncan Frew, Tennent’s Lager’s Commercial and Marketing Director (UK), added: “Tennent’s are delighted to partner with the Spree Festival in 2019.

“The festival continues to go from strength to strength, developing a national profile through an impressive programme of local and international artists and activity. We look forward to working with organisers and local community to help build on this success.”

Louisa Mahon, Renfrewshire Council’s head of marketing, communications and events, added: “The Spree has grown in recent years to become a fixture in Scotland’s festival calendar – and we are delighted the expanded capacity this year has allowed us to attract some of our biggest names yet.

“Not only will that bring music fans from across the country to see what Paisley has to offer but the growth in the event will help bring a real festival feel to the town, and a boost the local economy.”

For more information on the festival, see www.thespree.co.uk and for more on what’s happening in Paisley visit www.paisley.is

04/06/2019/by Brian McGuire

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High Street building back in business with new tenants and homes

A formerly-empty building on Paisley High Street has been brought back to life as a new home for businesses and residents – in what is believed to be the first new residential development on the street in decades.

The four-storey building at 30 High Street has been comprehensively refurbished by its owners – local family-owned building firm Calside Contracts – who fitted out two retail units and six flats on the upper floors.

High St Renovations

The ground floor was soon filled by two distinctively Paisley businesses – White Cart Company and Renfrewshire Witch-Hunt Experience – and all the flats above were quickly rented out to residents attracted by the idea of living in the heart of the town centre.

Calside Contracts bought the building at auction in 2016 and soon refurbished it to a high standard. And their work was hailed by Renfrewshire Council’s leader as an example of how other town centre building owners can benefit themselves and the town by investing in their properties.

Cllr Iain Nicolson said: “The team at Calside Contracts have done a fantastic job renovating the inside and outside of this building – it would be fantastic to see other owners follow their example.

“The council is often asked what we can do to bring new business to Paisley High Street but one big challenge is the buildings are privately owned.

High St Renovations

“Old buildings are harder to maintain and in some cases when tenants have left, units were allowed to deteriorate to the point major investment was needed, which made them unattractive for new business to move in.

“Calside on the other hand did invest – and the speed at which they were then able to let out the whole building shows big demand is there from businesses and residents for high-quality commercial and residential accommodation in the town centre.

“Paisley town centre is changing for the better with the council overseeing a once-in-a-generation £100m investment in venues and outdoor spaces, including transformations of Paisley Museum and town hall, and a new learning and cultural hub at 22 High Street.

“That will preserve our heritage buildings and support the ongoing work to make the town a key destination for visitors and events – driving new footfall and life into the town centre.

“And in turn we hope that creates attractive conditions for the private sector to invest – we would call on other town centre property owners to look at what can be achieved here if they do so.”

High St Renovations

The improvements to the ground-floor shopfronts were part-funded through the council’s five-year £4.5m TH.CARS2 scheme, which provides grants to restore buildings and improve shopfronts in the town centre, and a programme of community activity promoting the town’s culture and heritage.

Mary Grogan of Calside Contracts said: “We are a building firm run by myself and my two sons Craig and Christopher Stewart. We are from Paisley and wanted to put something back into the town. The flats were really easy to let – they were all snapped up straight away.

“We appreciate the help we got from the TH.CARS2 team to help finish the shopfront section of the building – and we suggest owners of other buildings in the town centre should get in touch to see what help might be available.”

Renfrewshire Witch-Hunt Experience are a local group helping promote the area’s unique history, inspired by the tale of the Paisley Witch trials – the last mass hanging for witchcraft in Western Europe.

High St Renovations

White Cart Company is an award-winning independent retailer selling niche gifts and artwork – many produced by Renfrewshire artists – and are now operating from two locations in the town, with another shop in Glasgow Road.

Both are delighted with their new homes – and White Cart owner Joe Bisland believes the relocated businesses and residents will bring great benefit to the town as a whole.

He said: “The High Street location has been great for us – we get a lot of footfall here. We are really pleased with the quality of the unit – when you look inside the shops and the flats you can see Mary and her team did everything to a very high standard.

“Paisley town centre is a very good place to live and a good commuter location for Glasgow and elsewhere – putting flats into Paisley High Street is a very positive thing to do and hopefully more building owners will do the same.

“Those new residents will spend their money in the shops, cafes and pubs on their doorstep and that will be great for businesses like us and the town as a whole.”

The TH.CARS2 scheme is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic Environment Scotland, and council support is available for other owners within the project area. More information can be found at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/thcars2

The council also operates a retail improvement scheme offering grants to improve the frontage of businesses in retail areas throughout all parts of Renfrewshire – more info available at www.investinrenfrewshire.com

31/05/2019/by Brian McGuire