Paisley town centre living in the spotlight
Paisley was put front and centre of the drive to create more towncentre living recently as influential figures in housing and social development visited the area.
Delegates from all over the country took part in a walking tour of the town centre where they saw the on-going regeneration of key buildings and the ambitious vision to revitalise Paisley - both as a town to visit and live in.
The Town Centre Living and Investment Roadshow is part of wider work taking place across Scotland which seeks to get more people living in town and city centre locations.
Following the tour, guests took part in several workshops on the theme of unlocking town centre potential at Paisley Town Hall.
Heather Claridge, director of design at Architecture and Design Scotland, said: “We need to have more people living in our town centres to create vibrant environments, but also to live in a more compact and sustainable way.”
Kimberley Guthrie, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns
Partnership, added: “Getting out and about has been an important reminder as to how town centre living can be a major catalyst for positive change.”
The event in Paisley was the fifth to be hosted by the
Roadshow and focused specifically on attracting investment from the private sector to support developments.
The roadshow is a project by Scotland’s Towns Partnership,
Scottish Futures Trust, Architecture and Design Scotland and the Scottish Land Commission.
Mhairi Donaghy, associate director at Scottish Futures Trust, said: “Town centre living is a huge part of the future for our town and city centres, creating the power to catalyse other developments in communities.”
A total of 220 people have taken part in the roadshow events, which also took place in Falkirk, Perth and Inverness, with a further session being held online.
Key themes and best practices shared during discussions from the five events will be shared with the joint CoSLA and Ministerial National Towns Forum in April.
David Stewart, the Scottish Land Commission’s policy and practice lead, added: “A great variety of people have come together to share ideas, experiences and so much positivity about the potential of town centre living.
We need to have more people living in our town centres to create vibrant environments