ESG Refurbishment Award for Paisley Learning Cultural Hub

The cultural hub, which is home to Paisley Central Libary, is part of a £7 million project by Renfrewshire Council aimed at revitalising Paisley and boosting downtown visitor numbers.

It has gained industry recognition after winning ESG Refurbishment of the Year at the Scottish Property Awards.

Making use of a former high street shop spread over four stories, it features a reception, a children's library with a play area.

With an outdoor terrace, study and community rooms on the upper levels, as well as free Wi-Fi and PC access for digital inclusivity, the new hub has a series of scheduled events including the Paisley Book Festival, author meet and greets and storytelling workshops for families.

The venue is operated by local culture and leisure trust OneRen.

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, cultural spokesperson for Renfrewshire Council and chair of OneRen, said: "We're delighted to see the Learning and Cultural Hub gaining the recognition it deserves as it has been an incredible transformation of the building - and we're already seeing the benefits with a huge increase in visitors compared to the same period last year.

"Placing a library in the centre of the High Street is part of our ongoing drive to give people new reasons to visit the town centre as we believe culture should be at the heart of its future and this modern, welcoming hub aims to be inclusive and accessible for all."

The project overcame stiff competition from across Scotland and also earned a nomination in the Regeneration Project of the Year category.

Jordan McCrae, architect at Collective Architecture, said: "Winning the ESG Refurbishment of the Year award is a great achievement for all involved.

"We are delighted that the client's vision and the team's hard work has resulted in a fantastic building which will hopefully provide a truly public space on Paisley High Street and act as a catalyst for further regeneration in the area.”

The building was created with HubWest Scotland, whose chief executive officer Iain Marley said: “Creating new spaces and fully upgrading and rejuvenating a 150-year-old building involved many challenges, but project has delivered a fantastic high-quality facility that is already being widely and enthusiastically enjoyed by the community and it will play a key role within the overall regeneration of Paisley Town Centre.

“We are also very proud that the project enabled the creation of eight work experience placements and four new jobs.”

The refurbishment was executed by construction firm CCG, whose managing director, David Wylie, celebrated the awards win as proof of the hard work that culminated into a quality facility.

Paisley is currently undergoing a regeneration scheme involving the £20million renovation of Paisley Town Hall into a leading entertainment venue, a £45million venture to transform Paisley Museum into an international tourist location, modernisation of Paisley Arts Centre and continuous investment in the arts.