From prime ministers to pop stars, Paisley has produced its fair share of famous names.

While the town is perhaps more proud of Paolo Nutini than Liz Truss, it has a roll call of celebrities to rival any of Scotland's cities.

But the A-list stardust hasn't dazzled the fortunes of Paisley, which suffers a reputation, sitting just adjacent, of being Glasgow's poor relation.

Renfrewshire Council and OneRen, the council's culture arm, want to change that with what has been described as a "once in a generation" level of investment in the area's cultural hubs.

READ MORE: Architect describes the trials and tribulations of opening Paisley Town Hall

It is hoped that by reinvigorating main architectural gems of the town, the town more widely will be reinvigorated too.

In fact, ambitious plans aspire to make Paisley more than just an adjunct to its neighbouring city but a must-see, cooler destination.

Renfrewshire Council plans to develop a "cultural thread" from the under-redevelopment Paisley Museum to the art centre, over to the new library and on to the town hall.

Each of these is within a 10 minute walk.

As Paisley Town Hall prepares to be brought back to public use, the opening of a new Learning and Cultural Hub on the town's High Street is in the pipeworks, as is the refurbishment of Paisley Arts Centre.

An insider at OneRen told The Herald: "This is a once in a generation investment from the city and its partners.

"The town hall is the start of this journey, we've got the library coming later in November, we've got the arts centre next year and then the crowning glory of the museum.

"This has the opportunity to unlock huge parts of potential within Paisley, reinvigorating parts of the town centre and making the city a destination.

"Why shouldn't Paisley be to Glasgow what Brooklyn is to Manhattan?"

READ MORE: Paolo Nutini plays Paisley Abbey

It's no new tactic, to use culture to bring about wider economic change and the council plans to encourage investment in local business.

Paisley already has a thriving education sector, being home to University of the West of Scotland.

But the challenges are no easy feat: Paisley has some of the highest deprivation rates in the country, in line with its post-industrial history.

In its hey day the town was referred to as the Manchester of Scotland but when the plants shut - the Peugot Talbot car plant, preserves firm Robertsons, chemicals specialist Ciba-Geigy and the textile mills - the effect was devastating.

As Glasgow has thrived under its cultural rebirth, so too, it is hoped, will Paisley.

The reopening of Paisley Town Hall is the first step in this and ambitions are high for the venue.

Steven Coulson, architect with Holmes Miller Architects and the project architect since 2018, said: "What I think this building is offering is the fact it was quite run down, it had devolved to something where they were only just using the main hall a few times a year for pantomime and a kids play.

"We've opened up all the spaces that were not being used, we've put such high quality sound, lighting that people will want to rent them - they will beat the competition.

"If you want to get married, for example, you could use the register office at Renfrewshire Council or you could look in the event space here and think, 'Holy sh*t, why am I not going to use that?'

"These are spaces that I genuinely think people are going to want to use and this building is going to, hopefully, go from underused to bursting at the seams.

"That's the difference it will make to the community."

And in the longer term, OneRen certainly hopes, it will be the catalyst for major social and economic change.