Ferguslie Community Development Trust wants to transform the former St Ninian’s Church Hall into a community hub.
17:31, 17 Nov 2025Updated 17:31, 17 Nov 2025
The former St Ninian’s Church Hall on Blackstoun Road, Paisley(Image: Andrew Neil)
A decision on the future of an old church hall in Paisley has been delayed as more information is sought by Renfrewshire Council on certain aspects of a charity’s plans for the site.
Ferguslie Community Development Trust (FCDT) wants to transform the former St Ninian’s Church Hall in Blackstoun Road into a thriving community hub.
Its request for a long-term lease of the facility – which has lain vacant in recent years – was continued at last week’s community asset transfer (CAT) sub-committee.
This recommendation was made to allow FCDT to provide more information on a number of areas, including matters relating to potential funding options and partnership work in the area.
John McIntyre, chair of the trust, said: “We’re not concerned about it at all because all of the information they’re looking for, we’ve got all that. Quite a lot of it is already contained within the business plan.
“What we’re doing just now is going through the process and we’ll be working away at extracting that information and maybe putting it into a different set of words, if you like, that might make it a bit more understandable.
“If we can get this information together then we’re now looking at, hopefully, getting it to the next sub-committee meeting in January – that’s the target.
“We know we have the answers and they will all be evidence-based. We are continuing to work with the council.”
FCDT’s vision is to transform the hall into a multi-purpose venue that supports all generations and complements existing community facilities.
Activities that could be hosted at the building, which have been identified through consultation, include children’s birthday parties and a soft play area; weddings, funerals and community celebrations; film screenings and stage performances; youth programmes, wellbeing groups and training workshops; and arts and heritage events celebrating Ferguslie’s culture.
To support its vision, FCDT has explained it is actively engaging with potential funders to secure resources for capital improvements and staffing.
Works would be carried out on a phased basis with the toilets reconfigured and kitchen space assessed in the first phase.
Installation of moveable partitions in the meeting space and additional storage is earmarked for the second phase while a new kitchen and café space created and heating system upgraded is planned for the third phase.
Councillor Michelle Campbell, convener of the CAT sub-committee, said at the meeting: “There are a number [of questions] that I think need to go back to the applicant for the board to be able to appropriately make a decision on this application.”
Her recommendation that the item be continued to allow for the relevant questions to be put to the applicant, with the resulting information returning to a future sub-committee for consideration, was agreed by elected members.
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