Paisley Museum £42m revamp begins as part of town revival

Work has begun on four buildings on the Paisley Museum site, including the historic Coats Observatory

A £42m revamp of Paisley Museum has begun in the latest stage of the town's regeneration.

Work will be carried out on four buildings, including Scotland's first public observatory.

The project was delayed by a year due to the Covid pandemic and the museum is expected to reopen in 2023.

Further improvements in the town include a £22m refurbishment of the town hall and a new library service on Paisley High Street.

Construction on the museum site, which includes the A-listed Coats Observatory, is being done by Kier and is estimated to finish in late 2022.

Construction at the museum site is expected to last until the end of 2022

Renfrewshire Council said the project will see the overall museum campus grow by 20% and will allow more than double the number of objects on display.

It will include a garden gallery with an accessible visitor reception and café, dedicated learning spaces, a heritage centre, a shop and a new public courtyard.

• 'Radical reimagining' of Paisley town centre revealed

The council said the museum is expected to attracted 128,000 visitors each year.

Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of Renfrewshire Leisure, said: "The beginning of work on site is a major step forward in our journey to transform Paisley Museum into a world-class destination.

"The project is part of a wider investment by the council in Paisley's venues to transform the town centre."

The garden gallery is one of the project's highlights

Paisley has seen a number of investments in the past few years, including a £100m plan to develop venues and outdoor spaces in the centre of town.

And last year saw the publication of a new blueprint for the town centre including a high street cinema and European-style food hall.

The report, Vision for Paisley Town Centre 2030, was based on the idea that changes to the way people shop have left town centres such as Paisley's empty and struggling to survive.

Although city leaders were not required to deliver the plans, they hoped the "reimagining" of the Renfrewshire town could attract investors and reverse the decline of the high street.