Beautiful Paisley

See me, I'm a Paisley man, born in Paisley, brought up in Paisley and earn my living (such as it is) and live in this great town. It is one of the most beautiful towns with a wide array of buildings of merit in Scotland

I get about a bit and in my travels I get to see other towns and cities around, not only Scotland but abroad also (England too). Most towns and cities have their problems to a greater or lesser degree, but it is how they cope with them that indicates how a community is really doing.

A community can only react and act on how they are treated by those in power. If the peoples wishes are ignored or are not taken into consideration during a planning process for example, how can you expect the community to treat what has been created in their name with respect and pride and a sense of ownership.

For instance does anyone know what 'Public Realm Strategy' is? If you are not a town planner or a member of Gillespies media team I'm sure you don't.

Please indulge me and read this:

"With a great street pattern and a number of notable historic buildings, Paisley has inherited an excellent base on which to develop public realm improvements designed to achieve a better living environment and enhanced economic prosperity.

Just six miles from Glasgow, Paisley faced strong competition from its neighbouring city and other places and so had to develop a strong offering. The first step to achieving this, and Gillespies initial involvement, was the preparation of a public realm strategy and traffic management plan in conjunction with Renfrew District Council and Strathclyde Regional Council.

The strategy lays out a vision for improving the spaces around key buildings and the main shopping street, the High Street. Proposals for new road construction were developed to enable the removal of traffic from the High Street and its reduction in other important streets and places. As a consequence, a programme of new streetscape projects was established and this has been systematically implemented over seven years at a total cost of seven million pounds".

What a load o Kiech: "better living environment and enhanced economic prosperity"
This is an extract from the publicity bumf that was put out after the refurbishment of our town centre, not one dickie bird about asking the folk what they thought about it, before, during or after the goddamn thing was done.

Look! I love the Caithness stone that was laid, I think it looks great. It's not the stone I have a problem with but where they laid it, in all the wrong areas. It could have been extremely beneficial to our town, some top quality, highly polished bollards and public art works.

But they didn't ask us, what ,where, how, when we wanted it.

They, because they have a degree in planning know best, some of them don't even live in the town for god's sake.

Graffiti! Why do you think that there so much of it? It's not that they don't care, it just that the buildings/street art/Caithness Stone have no relevance to them. You didn't ask the people, so the less vocally able express themselves in the manner that they have become accustomed to.

Don't ignore our future, that's what these disenfranchised people are, our future.

Demand a greater voice in local politics, tell the councillors and the officials of the council that what they have done and are continuing to do is so wrong. Tell them that if they continue to do it we will rebel and take control and return the town to it's people.

"better living environment and enhanced economic prosperity"


We are still waiting.

Boo tae you!