Renfrewshire Council

The Paisley Learning and Cultural Hub will be a new modern community and educational facility which will bring new footfall to the town centre.

When it opens, the building will provide a new digitally-connected home for a range of services, including those currently offered at Paisley Central Library.

What's being built?

 As the images show, it will include:

- a comprehensive internal remodelling of the existing building, over four floors;

- an attractive ground-and-first-floor frontage with a modern look - which complements the High Street surroundings and preserves the historic features on the building's upper floors;

- children's library with areas for areas for reading, play, storytelling and learning;

- IT areas and suite - offering free public digital access in the heart of the town centre

The new facility is the latest example of how Renfrewshire Council is helping repopulate the town's High Street by finding new cultural and community uses for vacant retail property.

It follows Paisley: The Secret Collection - the UK's first publicly-accessible High St museum store -which opened two years ago in the basement of the town's former Littlewoods store.

 The four-floor unit at 22a High Street which will house the learning and cultural hub was last occupied by clothing chain Internacionale - but has been empty for a decade.

The work is part of a wider investment in the town's venues and outdoor spaces which will see Paisley Museum transformed into a world-class home for the town's internationally-significant collections, and Paisley Town Hall kept at the heart of local life as a landmark entertainment venue.

The project includes £1.5m funding from the Scottish Government's Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and is being delivered on behalf of the council by hub West Scotland who have appointed Collective Architecture to create the new design, and main contractor CCG to deliver the refurbishment.

Where are library services now?

Paisley Central Library is currently operating from a temporary building next to the Lagoon Leisure Centre, having moved out of its former home next to Paisley Museum when it closed for refurbishment..

Renfrewshire Heritage Library remains open at Abbey Mill and will move into the museum when it reopens. The former Paisley Central Library building at the top of the High Street will form part of the expanded Paisley Museum.