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The former St Ninian’s Church Hall on Blackstoun Road, Paisley(Image: Andrew Neil)<\/p>\nFerguslie Community Development Trust wants to transform the former St Ninian’s Church Hall into a community hub.<\/p>\n
17:31, 17 Nov 2025Updated 17:31, 17 Nov 2025<\/p>\n
The former St Ninian’s Church Hall on Blackstoun Road, Paisley(Image: Andrew Neil)<\/p>\n
A decision on the future of an old church hall in Paisley<\/a> has been delayed as more information is sought by Renfrewshire Council<\/a> on certain aspects of a charity’s plans for the site.<\/p>\n Ferguslie Community Development Trust (FCDT) wants to transform the former St Ninian’s Church Hall in Blackstoun Road into a thriving community hub.<\/p>\n Its request for a long-term lease of the facility \u2013 which has lain vacant in recent years \u2013 was continued at last week’s community asset transfer (CAT) sub-committee.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “If we can get this information together then we’re now looking at, hopefully, getting it to the next sub-committee meeting in January \u2013 that’s the target.<\/p>\n “We know we have the answers and they will all be evidence-based. We are continuing to work with the council.”<\/p>\n FCDT’s vision is to transform the hall into a multi-purpose venue that supports all generations and complements existing community facilities.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n To support its vision, FCDT has explained it is actively engaging with potential funders to secure resources for capital improvements and staffing.<\/p>\n Works would be carried out on a phased basis with the toilets reconfigured and kitchen space assessed in the first phase.<\/p>\n Installation of moveable partitions in the meeting space and additional storage is earmarked for the second phase while a new kitchen and caf\u00e9 space created and heating system upgraded is planned for the third phase.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n