Health centre plan for closing Allders store
New Paisley Centre bosses unveil vision for shop unit
The firm behind a multimillion pound plan to revamp Paisley town centre has announced proposals to open a state- of-the-art health centre in Allders Department Store.
Beyond Retail Property Fund Ltd (BRPF) said it has proposals to transform the long-standing store into a health facility in the Paisley Centre, recognising a “longstanding ambition” for one in the heart of the town centre.
The group plans to work alongside Renfrewshire Council and NHS Greater and Glasgow and Clyde to develop the project for the department store - which is set to close later this year.
Allders, which opened more than two decades ago, announced earlier this month the store would be no longer be operating in the town.
It’s understood the store is set to close within the next few months, and the owner, Co- operative, has yet to confirm if jobs will be affected.
It’s understood 20 members of staff work at the Causeyside Street store.
Meanwhile, BRPF is working to put together the rest of its plans for the Paisley Centre and Marks & Spencer - which the firm hopes to reveal later this year.
BRPF completed the purchase of the centre in November 2020 and announced in January that an agreement was also in place to take over the Marks & Spencer High Street unit after M&S confirmed its relocation from the town centre.
The wider investment proposals were prompted by the Vision for
Paisley Town Centre 2030, which recommended repurposing of the shopping centre to include a new residential quarter and a mixture of retail, leisure and commercial uses, together with outdoor public spaces.
The ten- year blueprint was unveiled last year by Renfrewshire Council, the Scottish Government and Scotland’s Towns Partnership, and imagines ideas for what the town centre could look like in a decade.
As part of the report, it was suggested the Paisley Centre be repurposed to include “a new residential quarter along a pedestrianised street running from the High Street to New Street with a mixture of retail and food and drink on the ground floor, flats on the upper floors, and new outdoor public spaces”.
Richard Ford, of Reith Lambert - which manages the Paisley Centre - said: “We are delighted that the centre has been able to reopen following the recent restrictions with the vast majority of retailers back trading.
“The owners, in consultation with stakeholders across Paisley, have begun to refine their thinking on the beyond retail future for the shopping centre which is sympathetic to the Vision for Paisley Town Centre 2030.
“We had anticipated the possible closure of the Allders Department Store for some time, but are unaware of when exactly that may be.
“However, should this be the case, it will provide a fantastic opportunity for the existing Allders building to be repurposed as a state-of-the-art health centre, a long-held ambition for Paisley town centre.
“BRPF will engage constructively with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Renfrewshire Council and the Scottish Government to hopefully deliver this as part of their wider regeneration plans.”
The Co- operative has been approached for comment.
It will provide a fantastic opportunity for the existing Allders building to be repurposed