Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS)

Applications for the Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS) closed on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at 4.45pm.

What the Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS) is, who can apply for it, what you can use the grant for, before you apply, how to apply, after you've applied.

On this page:

What the Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS) is

The Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS) is a grant that you can apply for to repair, improve, upgrade, or restore the front of your shop, business, or commercial premises in Renfrewshire.

Improvements to your shop front or premises will benefit both your business and the area where it's located.

Who can apply for it

You can apply for the grant if:

you are the owner or leaseholder of a business or commercial premises
your business or premises is in a retail area or a town centre in Renfrewshire.

Types of businesses or premises include:

shops
hairdressers and beauty salons
cafes
restaurants
public houses
professional or financial services
tourism and leisure facilities.

You usually can't apply for the grant if:

your business forms part of a chain - it has three or more outlets
your business turnover was more than £1m in the previous tax year
you previously got an RIS grant from us for the same property in the last 3 years
the property can't be accessed directly from public roads, streets, or ways
you have an unpaid or outstanding debt with the Council.

However, we will consider each application on an individual basis.

How much you could get

The grant could be up to 70% of the cost of improvements, depending on the size and scale of the work, and the benefits of making the improvements.

The amount awarded is a minimum of £1,000 up to £12,000. We don't usually award more than this.

We apply a scoring system to determine if you will get the grant and how much you will get.

What you can use the grant for

Grants are generally for ground floor improvements only.

You can use the grant for:

installing a new fascia - these are the horizontal boards that run around the edge of the building's roof
new signage and lighting
repainting the outside of your premises
refurbishment or replacement of the shop or building frontage
security grilles or shutters
front of sales areas near the entrance or behind the front windows - we will assess each application for this individually.

What you cannot use the grant for

You cannot use the grant for:

works you've already started or finished
solid roller shutters or those with projecting external mechanisms
moveable items - for example, stock, motor vehicles, furniture
trade fittings like pipes, plumbing or utilities
most internal work, for example, plastering internal walls, installing or upgrading a kitchen
roof repairs
paying VAT on any works or project
fees for any necessary statutory consents.

Using the grant for roller shutters

If you've applied for a grant to install or upgrade roller shutters, we will recommend one of the following:

A) toughened security glazing

B) feature gates and grilles

C) internal lattice, trellis or open brick-bond shutters located behind the glass

D) internal lattice, trellis or open brick-bond shutters located in front of the glass with internally recessed mechanism.

Types of shutters
A) toughened security glazing shutters for shop fronts
B) feature gates and grilles for shop fronts
C) lattice, trellis or open brick-bond shutters located behind the glass and D) lattice, trellis or open brick-bond shutters located in front of the glass with internally recessed mechanism
Not recommended: solid shutters in front of glass

We use a scoring system to assess which kind of shutter or glazing is most appropriate for your premises.

You can't use the grant to install solid shutters or shutters with projecting external mechanisms.

If you already have these kinds of shutters, you can use the grant to upgrade to one of the types of shutters listed above.

You should contact us before you apply to discuss your ideas for the property. We'll give you guidance on eligibility, what supporting information you need and how long it will take to process your application.

You should have a clear idea of the extent of works to be undertaken and the likely cost, either from estimates or professional advice. Email us with your ideas or questions at ris@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

We will visit your premises to discuss your proposal for the grant.

When you are ready to apply online, you will need to include:

plans or scaled drawings
current photos of the premises, shop front or building detail
at least 3 itemised quotes for each piece of work
evidence of who owns the property
any required planning permissions and consents

Plans and scaled drawings

You'll need to submit plans or scaled drawings with your grant application.

Your drawings:

must be to scale and show elevation frontage and a cross-section of the property.
should show the building as it is and how it will look after the proposed work is done
must make clear what work will be done and they correspond to the specification of works and quotes for the work.

If you need help with your drawings, you can get an architect or a shopfront contractor to design them for you.

Photos

We'll need current photos of the premises, shop front or building detail. If you are using a camera enabled device (such as a phone or tablet), you can use the camera to take pictures of your evidence.

Planning and building consent

When you apply for the scheme, you will need to provide written confirmation that any planning permission or building consents have been granted, or if they are not required.

Before you start any works on your premises or shop front, you should consider if your project:

needs planning permission or advertisement consent
needs a building warrant
is in a listed building and needs listed building consent
is in one of Renfrewshire's conservation areas
is in the Renfrew Simplified Planning Zone (SPZ) or in the Hillington Park Simplified Planning Zone (SPZ)

It can take several months for planning consent or building warrants to be processed.

Contact the:

Development Management team for advice about planning and advertising consent at dc@renfrewshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 0144.
Building Standards team about building standards and listed buildings advice at bc@renfrewshire.gov.uk or call 0300 300 0144

You can apply for the grant even if your planning permission application is in progress.

You can find more guidance on:

Quotes for costs

For each type of work, you'll need three itemised quotes for each type of work. This could be sign replacement, shutter installation or restoration of building details for example.

You might find it useful to prepare a scope of works for potential contractors when you are asking them for quotes.

Make sure your quotes are from legitimate contractors or suppliers. Where possible, get quotes from local contractors based in Renfrewshire.

Ownership or leaseholder information

You must include evidence of who owns the property, or a formal lease, with your application.

If you lease the property, you must also have written consent from the owner to do the proposed works.

Data protection

We need to collect certain information to process your grant application and to contact you about it.

See our privacy policy on how we use your data and your rights.

How to apply

Applications for the Retail Improvement Scheme (RIS) closed on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at 4.45pm.

Other ways to apply

If you did not apply by the closing date, contact us at ris@renfrewshire.gov.uk if you would like to be considered for the next round of grants. We'll let you know by email when you can apply again.

After you've applied

If you applied by the closing date of Wednesday 7 May 2025, we will review your application and let you know our decision by email. You'll hear from us within several weeks of the closing date.

We'll decide on your proposal based on the scoring system.

We'll consider your application based equally on the impact it will have and the quality of the proposed works.

The impact includes:

the streetscape - if it will have a positive impact on the surrounding properties
the status of the building - if the property is occupied or vacant and how long it's been vacant
location - if the property in an established retail area
how prominent it is - if it is visible from a civic space, if it's a corner unit, or it's of historical importance
if you have asked local contractors for quotes.

The quality is based on:

the quality and standard of the design
the scale - if the proportions are appropriate to the building and surrounds
any features of interest or character that will be retained, restored, or included
the appearance, choice of materials, and colours
how the shop or building security will be arranged or improved.

If you're awarded a grant

Provisional approval

If we approve your application on principle, we'll make a provisional offer setting out the conditions of the grant and the potential amount of money you could get.

If we can't offer you a grant at this time, we'll consider your application again later, providing there is still funding available.

Conditions of the grant

We can't award the grant until you've met all the conditions of the offer.

You must make sure you have:

all the relevant planning permissions or building consent, in line with the approved grant scheme
enough money to be able to pay contractors in full before they start any work.

Payment of the grant

We will pay the grant when the works have been completed to a satisfactory standard, following an inspection by us, and you have sent us:

proof of payment to the contractor by bank or building society transfer (BACS)
the receipted invoice from the contractor or contractors doing the work
evidence of all necessary planning permissions or building consent, or written confirmation that these are not needed.

We'll make the payments to your nominated bank or building society account.

We can't award the grant for cash payments to suppliers or contractors.

If you're using internet banking, make sure this information from your online bank statement is clearly identifiable on every page:

name of your bank
your name
your bank account number and sort code
the debit, credit, and balance columns
name of the supplier, or suppliers, and the amounts paid to them
the footer showing the web page.

We can only accept proof of original receipts or statements. We cannot accept screenshots.

You can scan and send us your:

original receipts
print outs of your bank statements.

If we have all the relevant information with your completed application for payment, we aim to pay you within 28 days of receiving your application.

Interim payments

We can only make up to two interim payments of the grant.

You'll need to provide us with proof of payment, invoices and any required planning permission outlined above for each for interim payment request.

If you need to make an interim payment towards materials for the work, we may be able to give you up to 25% of the cost of the materials.

Any other interim payments can only be paid towards work done on the site. This will not be more than 90% of the remaining amount of your grant.

If you need a building warrant for the work, we will pay the final 10% of the grant when we get a completion certificate from you.

When the work is completed

Your project must be completed:

to what was agreed when you were awarded the grant
with any statutory consents that were required for the work.

You'll also need to provide us with evidence that the contractor or contractors have been invoiced and paid, as set out in the payment of the grant.

You must send us the receipts for this work as set out in the terms and conditions of the grant.

If you have any delays or difficulties sending us evidence of completion, let us know at ris@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

More information

If you need more information about the grant, email us at ris@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

Renfrewshire Council