THE economy of Scotland's largest town will be boosted by £88m if it succeeds in being named UK City of Culture in 2021.
Paisley's bid for the title is highlighted by plans for a £56.7m revamp of its museum and a £500,000 "cultural pot" for its local population and artists.
The town will be the first Scottish place to win the title if it wins - Dundee and Aberdeen missed out on the crown for 2017, losing out to Hull.
Cultural consultants BOP's economic appraisal of the project estimates that a revamp of the museum, on the town's High Street, would triple its visitor figures to 150,000.
The bid, and Renfrewshire Council's plans, hope to portray Paisley as a "destination town" for visitors.
A winning bid, it says, would create 250 jobs and generated £88m for the local economy "as a result of cultural and economic regeneration brought about by the museum transformation alone."
The museum revamp is the flagship project of Renfrewshire Council's plans for the town, which also includes plans for a £3.7m museum store, and a £2.7m boost for the lending library service.
The £500,000 "culture, heritage and event" fund is being set up to "tap into the town's potential".
A social media campaign to back the bid using #Paisley2021 has started and a new website at www.paisley2021.co.uk is to go live to rally public support.
The bid's director, Jean Cameron, has been a senior arts producer at Glasgow Life where she has shaped many of the city's leading cultural outputs including the Glasgow International Festival of Visual Arts, Glasgow Mela and the Aye Write! book festival.
The town's bid is to unveil further ideas and strategies as the bid deadline nears.
Next week, Renfrewshire Council’s Economy and Jobs Policy Board will be asked to formally endorse the outline business case for the museum transformation.
This involves a £15m capital funding commitment and submitting a grant application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for £15m.
The bid focusses on what makes Paisley unique: home to the Paisley pattern, the world's most extensive collection of Paisley pattern shawls - 1,200 - and one of the best collection of 20th century ceramics.
Paisley is also home to a copy of The Birds of America collection by John James Audubon and an art collection including works by Glasgow Boys and John Byrne.
The town will also herald its place as the hometown for artists such as Gerry Rafferty, John Byrne, Gerard Butler, David Tennant and Paolo Nutini.
The UK City of Culture competition is run by the UK Government’s Department of Culture, Media and Sport and takes place every four years.
The two previous winners were Derry-Londonderry in 2013 and Hull.
Bids are due to be lodged in spring 2017 with the winner announced at the end of the year.
Councillor Mark Macmillan, leader of Renfrewshire Council and chair of the Paisley 2021 Partnership Board said: "We’re putting people right at the heart of Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture and our new £500,000 creative fund will help them develop and participate in high-quality cultural events supporting our ambitions.
"From the local arts and cultural community, to professional artists and individuals, the fund will help every part of Renfrewshire realise its creative potential between now and 2021.
"Paisley was once at the heart of the global textile industry and by connecting that heritage to the future through a new transformed museum, we aim to bring the world to Paisley."
He added: "The museum will become the cultural, social and economic heart of the town. It will be transformed for tourists and local families alike, and be the base for extensive community outreach supporting weaving, natural history, science and nature.
"By forging links with national museums and international institutions, local art groups and academic partners, we want to put Paisley at the heart of the world’s cultural map."
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