PAISLEY 2030
As the new decade commences, we transport ourselves into a vision of Paisley’s future. Thankfully, it’s a bright one.
High Street cinema
C
ast your mind ten years ahead… What might Paisley town centre look like? Perhaps you could step out your home in the new residential quarter at the heart of town, wander through widened streets and outdoor spaces designed for people, or pop into some of the thriving independent traders on the freshly repopulated High Street. Then, as night-time descends, you sample a range of delicious street food in the town’s new continental food hall, before catching the latest film in its High Street cinema, eventually heading off to one of the many nearby late-night bars. Sound good? That’s the future imagined by the authors of A Vision for Paisley 2030 – a new report containing some radical ideas for how the town centre could evolve. WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH TOWN CENTRES? Town centres matter – they are the front rooms of the community and shape how people feel about them. 52 MILL
That’s true of Paisley – Buddies have fond memories of the bustling High St of days gone by but it would be fair to say the current version pales in comparison. However, we can’t turn the clock back - town centres everywhere are facing the same issues, caused by changes to the way people shop. 20% of retail is now online and the big chains are concentrating on the highest-footfall locations, often purpose-built and out-of-town. The result is empty retail space where locally-minded commerce had once thrived, no longer needed for what it was built for. The question is, what we can do differently? WHAT’S PAISLEY DOING ALREADY? Paisley is using what sets it apart to change the future. As regular Mill Magazine readers will know, the town has loads to offer as a place to live and invest – a great location, transport links and stunning historic buildings, not to mention one of Scotland’s biggest and best major event programmes.
