Investing in town’s future
Paisley has now been shortlisted for the final stage of the UK City of Culture 2021 competition.
This is a fantastic recognition by the judges of everything that Paisley and Renfrewshire has to offer and the energy and enthusiasm bidding for the competition has generated amongst everyone so far.
This has been made possible by the support of thousands of people across the town who have input their ideas into the bid and given us their support – so a big thank-you to everyone who has made this happen.
This bid has generated support from across Scotland, from across the UK and even from other countries.
We now need people right across the country to continue to back Scotland’s bid and show us their support.
The Paisley Daily Express has been a big supporter and we also have more than 200 businesses supporting us – from our local town centre stores to big multinational companies based in Renfrewshire.
Winning this competition is part of our bigger ambitions to regenerate our town centre through new jobs and investment using culture to open up opportunities for everyone in our communities.
Taking part in a cultural activity, whether that’s taking part in your local theatre group or children taking part in the school play, all these activities can make a significant difference to people’s wellbeing and opportunities in life.
This is why we’re in this competition to win it and make a difference for people who live here.
On a recent walk around Paisley town centre, I saw first hand the investment being made into the high street and how our plans to revitalise our heritage are bringing a new lease of life to the town.
Our regeneration plans are working towards transforming Paisley into a vibrant centre of creative and cultural excellence, investing in our local talent through initiatives such as the High Street InCube office and promoting a world-class visitor destination that will attract investment to the whole of Renfrewshire.
We are looking at where we can provide support to improve our shop fronts, attract new investment and support new housing in the town centre.
Up at the top of the High Street, plans to renovate shop frontages to a traditional look are part of an investment of almost £2 million of Heritage Lottery Fund money and almost £1 million of Historic Environment Scotland money set aside for a Townscape Heritage scheme in the area around the High Street.
We want to use our rich past to build a new future for the town and invest to make Paisley an attractive place to visit, live, work and invest in. We have much to be proud of in Paisley and I hope as many people as possible support our next part of the journey.