Plans for £200million Breahead expansion

Jan 22 2013 by Gavin McInally, Paisley Daily Express

Ambitious plans for a £200million expansion of Braehead – which could create up to 5,000 new jobs – were submitted to Renfrewshire Council yesterday.

Capital Shopping Centres (CSC), owners of the popular centre, lodged the application at Renfrewshire House in Paisley, seeking permission to build a new mixed-use development which would include a hotel, ice rink and shops.

This follows a submission of a proposal of application notice which was issued to Renfrewshire Council and Renfrew Community Council in August 2012.

Planners claim the £200m investment would create over 2,000 construction jobs – including apprenticeships – and 3,000 direct and indirect jobs in leisure and retail when the development is completed.

And CSC chiefs insisted yesterday that they will work closely with Renfrewshire Council and the Employability Partnership to maximise job opportunities for local people.

The planning application includes retail and leisure facilities, including a department store, and additional shops at the western end of the mall.

Situated Between Xscape and the shopping centre, the development’s plans include an arena for ice and other sports, concerts, entertainment shows, conferences and exhibitions, a public square, improved access to the riverside, walkways and restaurants, as well as a 200-bed hotel.

The plans outline a significant boost to public transport with the creation of an integrated interchange for buses and to facilitate the new Fastlink service, which is hoped will extend from Glasgow Southern General Hospital to Braehead and Renfrew.

CSC held a two-day consultation at the end of August 2012, gathering feedback from over 800 shoppers, community leaders, retailers and other key stakeholders - the results of which were overwhelmingly positive.

Peter Beagley, regional centre director for CSC, said: “This will be one of the biggest private investment projects in Scotland for a long time.

“With planning consent, we will be creating thousands of jobs at a time of economic downturn and it will be a boost not only to Renfrewshire, but also to the wider west of Scotland economy.

“We would hope that the new jobs being created at Braehead will particularly help young people find employment and get their feet on the career ladder.

“Braehead Shopping Centre has been a key part of the local community and the wider Renfrewshire area for the past 13 years and it was heartening to see the overwhelming public support for our proposals during our consultation.

“We look forward to determination by Renfrewshire Council”