Bold plans for town’s museum get green light
The £42million project to turn Paisley Museum into a worldclass destination has taken a step forward after planning permission was granted.
The category A-listed Victorian building is being transformed into a leading European museum telling the unique stories of a town known around the world for the pattern that carries its name.
On Tuesday afternoon, members of Renfrewshire Council’s Communities, Housing and Planning Board gave the green light to planning permission for an extension and external alterations, plus listed building consent – meaning work can start next year.
The new-look museum is expected to draw audiences of 125,000 people a year – almost four times current numbers – when it reopens in 2022.
The designs produced by international architects AL_ A, led by Stirling Prize winner Amanda Levete, include:
• A fully-accessible entrance courtyard and dramatic red glazed entrance hall, creating a dynamic and inviting presence on the High Street and a contemporary face for the museum
• A new wing to the west of the existing building providing step- free access through the museum to the Coats Observatory
• An attractive outdoor garden, creating a new public space for the town, and opening up previously-hidden views of the observatory while reconnecting it and the museum to the town’s High Street
Internal renovations to improve accessibility and circulation and extend the museum into the space formerly occupied by Paisley Central Library, allowing the museum to more than double the number of objects on display to 1,200, and
An interactive weaving studio, keeping alive the town’s traditional textile skills.
In its response to the consultation, Historic Environment Scotland welcomed the proposal, which it described as “very positive, well justified”, and said the plans “sensitively respond to the building and the requirement to provide step- free access”.
The Paisley Museum Reimagined scheme is the flagship project within Renfrewshire Council’s £100m investment in cultural venues and outdoor spaces, designed to use the town’s internationally-significant cultural and heritage story to change its future.
Councillor Marie McGurk, convener of the Communities, Housing and Planning Board, said: “The Paisley Museum Reimagined project is at the heart of our bold plans to transform Paisley town centre in the years ahead.
“We are delighted it was able to pass this important milestone on Tuesday.
“The designs which have been produced blend the old and the new.
“They will create a 21st century visitor experience while preserving a key part of our fantastic architectural legacy, and ensure this much- loved building can stay at the heart of life in the area for generations to come.
“Paisley’s name is already known around the world and when the museum reopens in 2022 it will allow us to invite the world to come back to Paisley, providing new opportunities, life and footfall for the town centre and wider Renfrewshire area.”
The project is expected to create a £79m boost for the local economy over 30 years, with 138 jobs supported during construction, and 48.5 jobs per year through revenue and visitor spending.
It already includes funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with more money confirmed from the Scottish Government and its Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
The museum was opened in 1871, designed by renowned Glasgow architect Sir John Honeyman. The building was gifted to the town by Sir Peter Coats of the Coats family, whose Paisley-based thread-making empire stretched around the world.