Renfrewshire Council is to consider proposals to create a new international tourist attraction at Paisley Abbey.

Plans have been put forward to develop a fourth cloister and visitor centre at the A-listed 850-year old church.

Features include a new entrance, shop and visitor centre, as well as work to open up the mediaeval drain, which forms part of the Abbey complex, as a visitor attraction.

If approved, councillors would commit staff and consultant time to be paid for from the existing Paisley town centre regeneration budget.

Council Leader Mark Macmillan said: "Back in 2014 we published an ambitious vision of Paisley's future as a thriving visitor attraction based around the town's unique cultural and heritage assets.

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"Work to make that a reality is already well under way, with Paisley's bid for UK City of Culture 2021 fast building momentum, and work ongoing to develop other big regeneration projects such as the proposed transformation of Paisley Museum.

"The possibility of developing Paisley Abbey into an international visitor attraction was raised within the same strategy - and if our vision is to be reality this will be an important project.

"Those of us who see it every day already know the Abbey is a stunning-looking building but it and the Abbey Drain are both of national historic and archaeological importance and the potential is there to make more of them.

"Running a complex regeneration project of this kind is not something the Abbey's current management are able to do by themselves - which is why it is proposed council staff and consultants lend their time and expertise."

The council's Economy and Jobs Policy Board is to consider the proposals when it meets on Wednesday, 25 May.

(LM/CD)