Regeneration SHOWDOWN

Expert help called in as council deems £45M Paisley Centre redevelopment ‘unviable’

- EDEL KENEALY

External finance experts will be employed to take a second look at proposals to regenerate the Paisley Centre, Renfrewshire Council has confirmed.

Elected representatives have reaffirmed their commitment to the project and securing expert guidance after council officers deemed the current redevelopment proposals “commercially unviable”.

Beyond Retail - which asked the local authority for support in getting its redevelopment off the ground — last week threatened to pull the plug on the entire scheme and close the shopping mall if council chiefs failed to rescind the claims.

The comments were made in a paper produced for the economy and regeneration board, and confirmed the local authority would not be progressing with plans to lease buildings in the new development.

But at the meeting, members moved to bring in external advisers with a view to creating “a workable and sustainable partnership that unlocks the potential of the redevelopment”.

Beyond Retail demanded this is done before the end of the year.