CURRENT AND PLANNED PROJECTS IN PAISLEY
PAISLEY ABBEY IMPROVEMENTS The plans have been agreed by all parties, and it is hoped the planned extension and renovations will be ready for the 850th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey, on St Mirin's Day, the 15th September, 2013. Final architectural plans are expected to be released during the summer of 2012.
We have obtained two artists impressions of the work from architects Simpson & Brown. For large images click H E R E , H E R E , and H E R E
For information on the Paisley Abbey Fourth Cloister Slate Sponsorship, please click H E R E .
RUSSELL INSTITUTE
Miss Agnes Russell donated the Russell Institute to her home town of Paisley as a memorial to her two bachelor brothers, Robert and Thomas Russell, who died in 1913 and 1920 respectively.
The Paisley Development Trust is looking at the property with the aim to create a centre where artists, charities and creative groups can rent facilities, hot desk, set up workshops and exhibit their work.
A feasibility study is expected to cost in the region of £35,000, and PDT will need to raise funding for this. They are also looking for help from designers, architects and quantity surveyors who can donate their time and expertise to the project.
If things go ahead, the PDT would like to invite a pledge from any firms willing to sandblast the outside of the building for free in support of the funding application. If you can volunteer your service to the project, e-mail Piero at Pieropieraccini@aol.com or paisley_ development_trust@yahoo.co.uk
IMAGINE THEMED SHOP FRONTS
Outlet stores offer brand names at a discount – typically between 30% and 70% off recommended retail prices –through discontinued lines, blemished articles or last season’s designs. Although they are rarely housed in factories, the concept is based on the factory outlet where manufacturers offer goods direct to the public at a lower cost than at their high street branches.
PAISLEY GILMOUR STREET STATION
Leaking rainwater from the existing canopy has caused dampness problems to the retail units below. This problem will be resolved by the construction of one single roof over all four platforms, covering 4740sqm , and will be 40% larger than the current canopies. New access points will be created and the paintwork will be changed to Saltire blue and white.
The current canopy dates from 1967. The work started in February 2011, is expected to last until Christmas 2011, with minimal disruption to passengers. Paisley Gilmour Street is one of Scotland's busiest stations, seeing more than three million passengers a year.
Click H E R E for a larger image.
UPDATE: According to Newtork Rail Glasgow, the revised completion date for this project is March 2012. Scaffolding began to be removed during the last week of December 2011.
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND - STUDENT ACCOMMODATION
The accommodation will include en-suite bathrooms, communal living and kitchen spaces, management suites, lounges and laundry facilities.
A further £4.6m project will refurbish 160 University-owned flats at George Street and Lady Lane in the town.
Work started in March 2011 and it is hoped the new facilities will help attract increasing numbers of students to the town for entry in 2012.
Click H E R E for an artists impression.
FORMER TERRITORIAL ARMY CENTRE
The building is privately owned and development has been granted for the refurbishment of main building & subdivision to form 8 flats; refurbishment of chapel to form 1 house; demolition of rear buildings & erection of 17 new build flats & maisonettes with associated parking and landscaping. Commencement of the development must occur by 21st November 2012. An interesting condition states that there shall be no stonecleaning of the retained listed buildings unless first approved in writing by the Planning Authority.
In 2011 the building was put on the market by Colliers International on behalf of liquidator KPMG. The closing date for offers is the 15th February 2012. The former four-storey TA building needs considerable repair works and extensive internal refurbishment. The drill hall would need to be demolished.
FORMER ARNOTTS STORE
The initial developers were unsuccessful in tempting a major retailer to the site. In 2007 it was sold to McLagen Investments, the property arm of supermarket giants ASDA. The site remained undeveloped, and was subjected to fires and vandalism.
Most recently, Park Lane Group teamed up with Renfrewshire Council, helped with a £1.8million cash injection from the Scottish Government’s town centre rengeration fund.
Planning permission in principle for development has been granted by Renfrewshire Council's planning and economic development policy board. Plans show the site could be developed to include a foodstore, shops, residential flats and public car parking. Selective demolition work at the site began in June 2010.
The initial plan increased parking from 200 to 300 spaces along with landscaping, but overall plans for the site have been put on hold.
A new entrance and better visitor facilities are planned for Paisley Abbey. Renovations at the Place of Paisley are also planned. A key part of the proposal is to create new indoor space between the Abbey and the adjoining Place of Paisley, with existing space in the Place of Paisley to be adapted to host more concerts and conferences.
The Russell Institute is a former health clinic at the corner of New Street and Causeyside Street. The building has been put on the market by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde because it fails to meet modern standards.
In June 2010 Renfrewshire Council unveiled new frontages for empty shops in the High Street which show what they would look like if they were occupied.
Plans are also in place to promote Paisley as Britain’s first “discount town”. Instead of trying to compete at the high end of the market, the council will take the lead in a daring attempt to attract shoppers to the town with an innovative marketing scheme. The council has also hired a commercial property company, Colliers International, to target potential retailers and encourage them to open outlet stores similar to those at McArthur Glen in Livingston. The idea has come on the back of a successful opening 18 months ago of Marks & Spencer’s discount outlet on Paisley High Street.
The owners of Paisley Gilmour Street Station, Network Rail, have announced a £9 million package of improvements to the B-listed structure.
Announced in August 2010 was a £13.6m project to build a 340-bedroom complex on the site of a current car park.
This B-listed building is located at 76 High Street between the Coat's Memorial Church and the Art Gallery & Museum car park, and directly opposite the University of the West of Scotland. It was built 1896-1899 and was most recently used as a Territorial Army Centre. The interior received fire damage in December 2008 and remains unused and boarded up.
The former Arnotts' building was designed by one of Paisley's most respected architects, JS Steel Maitland, opening in 1927, and taking on the Arnott's name in 1973. The B-listed building has been lying empty since the store closed in 2002.
4-6 INCLE STREET, PAISLEY
This tenament was last occupied in 2009, and was the target of fires and vandalism. Being adjacent to the Glasgow-Paisley railway line, it became a very unattractive 'welcome' for visitors to Paisley
A compulsory purchase order was placed by Renfrewshire Council on the 17th August 2009, but delayed by red tape. Ownership of the property is being transferred to the partnership involved with the development and regeneration of the former Arnotts site.
In all, the entire site will cover approximately 1.6 hectares. Demolition of this building was scheduled for the summer of 2010 but has been delayed.
UPDATE: Watch this space.
18 HIGH STREET, PAISLEY
This B-listed building opposite the main entrance of the Paisley Centre has been empty for some time.
The building dates from 1879 and is described as Thomsonesque classical with Tuscan pilasters. This part of High Street was redeveloped 1880-86.
An application to convert the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors from office space to 6 flats was lodged and granted on the 12th October 2009. Commencement of the development must occur by 12th October 2014. The front of the ground floor shop was improved with the 'Imagine' theme of images at the end of June 2010.
We have no details about the future of the ground floor retail shops.
Applicant: R. Sher & Son Properties Ltd., 22 St John's Road, Glasgow, G41 8QZ.
UPDATE: A Class 3 licence for fast food consent was lodged with Renfrewshire Council in November 2011.
FORMER LITTLEWOODS STORE
The former Littlewoods store is a stand-alone unit of 60,000 square feet in private ownership. Renfrewshire Council has had discussions with owners and potential occupiers.
A plan recently considered is the sub-dividing of the unit into different spaces, to be rented out separately.
Paisley2020 contacted Primark in late 2009. Their head office in Dublin informed us they were not longer expanding into the UK market, but concentrating on mainland Europe.
The front of the ground floor shop was improved with the 'Imagine' theme of images at the end of June 2010. Wilkinson announced their interest in the site in 2010, and despite a grant offered by Renfrewshire Council, the company pulled out of the deal in June 2011.
In August 2011 Paisley2020.org released plans on a possible use of this property, by converting it into a outlet departments store, with concessions. The full article can be read H E R E.
UPDATE: Watch this space.
DISUSED TOILETS, BRIDGE STREET
It was announced in January 2012 that the disused public toilets, sitting at the corner of Bridge Street and the A726 Mill Street, would be demolished.
A car park will be placed on the site, with parking for 45 vehicles.
Being on the busy Paisley ring road system, this development will help improve the location's apprearance, while providing additional parking spaces for this part of the town.
TESCO SUPERSTORE, WALLNEUK
A planning application was lodged in November 2009 for the erection of a Class 1 retail store and associated servicing, car parking, access, environmental improvements/landscaping, including town centre shoppers' car park.
The original plan was for 130,000 square feet of retail space with 722 parking spaces, as well as a replacement 120 council parking spaces, after purchasing the council land for £4.75million. The land in question includes the vacant warehouses, former petrol filling station, the bowling alley and lorry park.
As a result of concerns regarding the impact on town centre business, in February 2010 Tesco advised they were to amend their plan, reducing the amount of floorspace allocated to non-food items. The revised plan was for an 11,000 square metre store to be open 24 hours a day, with a new traffic light junction created on Renfrew Road at a crossroads with Niddry Street. The Council's officials estimated the impact on like for like shopping in Paisley Town Centre at 7%.
The plan was given planning permission by Renfrewshire Council on the 1st April 2010. who concluded the development would represent a substantial investment in Paisley, would involve the creation of employment opportunities, and would significantly improve the appearance of this key entry point to the Town Centre. Confirmation that the Scottish Government was satisfied with the proposal was received in January 2011. A full copy of the recommendation on planning application can be found here In August 2010 Tesco was given permission to build a petrol station and kiosk on Renfrew Road adjacent to their store.
To see larger artists impressions, click HERE.
UPDATE: Demolition of the site started in January 2012.
FORMER SITE OF ST MIRREN FOOTBALL GROUND, LOVE STREET.
The site was acquired by Tesco with the plan to construct an 80,000sq ft store. When the retailer obtained a site at Wallneuk, off Renfrew Road, the former football ground site was earmarked for a housing development instead.
A planning application for a 264-home residential development with associated car parking, landscaping and new vehicular and pedestrian access was lodged in November 2008, and viewed by Renfrewshire Council in June 2010.
Tesco received premission to proceed with it's Wallneuk plans on the 1st April 2010. As a result the site of the football stadium is now proposed for residential development with associated car parking and landscaping. The application lodged seeks planning permission in principle and was agreed on the 8th June 2010 and will lapse within 2 years if not acted upon.
Demolition of the stadium commenced in late 2009, and the entire site has now been fenced off.
NEW SNEDDON STREET PROJECT
This project was announced in September 2007 to much publicity, and was designed by smc Davis Duncan Architects for McGarvey Construction (Scotland Ltd).
The proposals comprised of 6,630 square metres of new office space, 26 new apartments and a 139 bedroom hotel arranged in three blocks set around a central area with the hotel constituting the main tower element of the project. The three blocks were to be connected together.
Planning permission was lodged in November 2007 and granted on the 28th February 2008, on the condition work started within 5 years.
We contacted McGarvey Construction regarding this plan, but never received a reply. We contacted Renfrewshire Council who kindly advised the project had been delayed due to the recent economic climate.
To see another artists impression, click HERE.
THE WATERMILL HOTEL EXTENSION
Planning permission has been granted for the Watermill Hotel to build an extension onto the vacant ground on Loanend next to The River Cart. The plan is to provide a new function suite and ancillary accommodation.
'The Ballroom' will accommodate up to 150 guests attending functions, weddings and private parties.
Construction began in August, and was open business late 2010.
PAISLEY CULTURE AND ARTS CENTRE
The proposals involve refurbishing the existing Town Hall and library and refurbishing and extending the museum to provide improved cultural facilities, with the designs forming part of the wider regeneration strategy for Paisley Town Centre.
The first Phase of the £30m proposals will be the £7m refurbishment and enhancement of the existing town hall. The designs include plans to relocate the central lending library into a wing of the town hall, this would allow the existing library space to be incorporated into a new cultural centre. The Cultural Centre will comprise gallery facilities as well as providing a new 175 seat auditorium with cafe and bar.
The streetscape will also see significant plans to create a transformation of the street into a public space that will not only provide access to all the facilities but will attract local residents and visitors to the cultural centre. A new circulation route up the sloping site will create a visual connection from the High Street to the Paisley Observatory.
It is anticipated that the designs will help to restore that magnificence of the existing listed public buildings as well as increasing visitor numbers to Paisley’s cultural venues, and provide Paisley with an economic and cultural boost.
FORMER RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS SITE
Demolition of the former council building began in February 2010 and continued into the summer. The construction of new houses and shop units due to begin during the summer of 2010.
Phase One of the £14 million regeneration will see the building of 30 two-bedroom homes. The later three phases will bring the total up to 137 residential apartments. The first phase has received £1.59m of funding from the Scottish Government.
This key project has support from both Renfrewshire Council and the Scottish Government and will be a big step forward in the Paisley Vision Board’s regeneration plans, which herald a promising new era for the town.
This is seen as a key site in the overall plan for the town and the first major step in what will be an exciting transformation.
To see an artists impression, click HERE.
FORMER 'INSTITUTE' NIGHTCLUB
The site was once an industrial building, and was most recently used as a nightclub, but has been derelict for many years, with the roof now having partly fallen in. Planning permission was granted in April 2005, allowing the erection of a residential development comprising of 22 2-bedroom and 6 3-bedroom flats with underground parking, being mainly 4 storeys high.
Before construction could take place, the site would have to be checked for industrial contamination, and would have to undergo an archaeological survey, being located within an identified historic site. The plan never eventuated, and the site was put up for sale in late 2007.
Paisley2020.org is currently investigating the future of this site. We have contacted James Barr who had the property up for sale in 2007, but we have not received a reply.
GORDON STREET
Gordon Street now falls within a conservation area. Work has been carried out to reduce the the impact of traffic on Gordon Street and to repair the damage done to the urban fabric by road widening. This was completed in 2009.
A contract worth £4.3 million was awarded to housebuilding company Lovell. A large, full scale refurbishment project has begun on 53 tenement flats in Gordon Street.
Layouts of apartments will be altered in line with the needs of residents, with tenants set to benefit from more energy-efficient homes once work is completed. The work was completed by summer 2010.
FORMER FIRE STATION, GORDON STREET
The former fire station was built in 1897 and is of baronial style. THis B-listed structure has a drying tower 12 feet square and 68 feet high.
The building has been derelict since the 1970's and despite planning permission being granted in 1994 to turn the site into a youth advice centre, cafe/disco, workers flats, youth hostel, offices, recording studio, craft workshop and a multi-gym, it has never been fully developed.
A grant from the lottery backed Townscape Heritage Initiative has brought in £1.5million, with the funds earmarked for restoring the building. Work is currently underway to make the building safe and secure prior to the restoration to take place in the next few years.
CENTRAL ROAD BUS ZONE
Central Road, running under the Piazza shopping centre car park, has received an investment of £500,000.
What was a dark and unpleasant series of bus stops, will be transformed into a modern public transport interchange, with greater space allocated for passengers and pedestrians.
Buses and taxis run one way only, westbound towards Gilmour Street. The area has a new road and pavement surfaces and improved lighting.
The road was opened again to traffic on schedule in March 2010.
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