Capital Projects Update

Paisley has been delivering a pioneering approach to cultural regeneration. The major investment of £100m in cultural venues and outdoor spaces began in 2016, with The Secret Collection. The facility replaced a vacant department store and is the first publicly accessible museum store on a UK high street. The Secret Collection will complement Paisley Museum by hosting educational visits and showcasing artefacts not on display at the museum. Renfrewshire Council’s investment then enabled work to begin on refurbishing Paisley Museum, Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Art Centre and creating a new home for Paisley Central Library.

We are delighted to announce that Paisley Town Hall was the first venue to re-open its doors. It did so in style by hosting The Royal National Mòd—Scotland’s largest celebration of Gaelic language and culture—in October. The iconic A-listed building looks stunning following its £22 million transformation with work being taken to preserve and restore its unique and ornate Victorian features, while integrating the modernisation required of a 21st-century venue.

Paisley Central Library also opened its doors at the end of November following £7 million of investment. For those of you who remember, Paisley Library was previously attached to Paisley Museum before its temporary closure in 2018. The library service has moved down Paisley’s High Street where it has repurposed a former retail space and in turn, the vacated space at Paisley Museum is being used to increase gallery space. The new library venue will provide spaces for children and families to enjoy, IT and digital facilities offering increased connectivity, spaces for events and to support the Paisley Book Festival—and, of course, places where residents can enjoy some time with a good book.

Paisley Arts Centre is scheduled to reopen later this year where it will host more intimate performance space for audiences and performers to enjoy.