Ferguslie Park

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Ferguslie Park is an area in the North West of Paisley, Renfrewshire in Scotland. To the north west of the Town Centre, it is close to the areas of Linwood to the west and Glasgow Airport to the North.

Commonly known as 'Feegie' or 'Feegie Park' by locals of the town, it is a deprived area, and was one of the pilot areas for the neighbourhood warden service by Renfrewshire Council in order to attempt to reduce crime. The area is commonly regarded as the worst area of the town of Paisley, mainly due to its high unemployment (45% of people are economically non-active), high crime, and youth disorder problems, mostly brought about by the rampant drug abuse. In the late 1990s the area featured on a Panorama show about its problems with illegal drugs.

Many residents in the area are frightened at night to go out and it is commonly reported that taxicab drivers from Glasgow and Paisley will refuse to travel into the area, for fear of being robbed. The streets of Ferguslie Park are a mixture of occasionally well kept houses, graffitied decaying property and boarded up local authority housing. Certain areas are simply waste ground where blocks of roads are still there, but no homes exist-they having been long since demolished due to urban decay. ^[1]

The area was however named by the Scottish Executive's most deprived area in 2006. ^[2]

To the North the Inverclyde to Glasgow Railway line separates the residential area from the industrial areas to the North East of Ferguslie Park. The Racecourse, a recreation ground to the south of the M8, is a popular football venue for amateur teams. This area has avoided many of the problems of Ferguslie Park and is still fairly well used, with many business, in particular long stay car parks for the nearby airport. Paisley St James railway station, is located on the line near Greenhill Road, however the scale of the urban decay is evident on the station with its high security, only one train per hour calls, and many flats that were near the station no longer exist. The Glasgow Airport rail link will see the current station close and move closer to the centre of Ferguslie Park, as the rail link to the airport will require a junction where the station is located. 2 buses run through the area, one links the area to the Phoenix Centre and Paisley Town Centre, and the other by transport giant Arriva, links the area with Paisley Cross. An indicator of the crime level, no company operates past 18.30, despite the low car use.

[edit] Regeneration

The regeneration of Ferguslie Park is currently underway. As mentioned neighbourhood wardens now patrol the streets to give a visible presence to try and deter crime. Graffiti Squads also aim to remove graffiti from council property within 24 hours to try and reduce the urban decay. However the drug problem and anti-social behavior still exists, although to a lesser extent than in resent years. The Tannahill Centre, named after the poet Robert Tannahill, a weaver from the town of Paisley, aims to give a nice community centre and shopping area. The centre, however has locals complaining that the chemist located inside the post office, is often giving drug addicts the heroin substitute Methadone whilst vulnerable pensioners are collecting pension money. Community projects, such as Ferguslie Park Radio have been successful in helping some youngsters channel their enthusiasm into worthwhile events, and sports facilities exist in the area for 5 a side football.

To the east, new housing has been joined by the commercial development, the Phoenix Centre, which contains a cinema, car dealerships, restaurants, shops and supermarkets, in order to regenerate the former Chrysler car plant that used to be on the site. Whilst regarded as being in Linwood, it is more accurately in Paisley, and joins the Ferguslie Park area- Linwood is infact further away on the other side of the Johnstone By-Pass.

To the East, St Mirren F.C., the local team of the town of Paisley who play in the Scottish Premier League have announced plans to move from their Love Street home some 600m away to a new all-seater stadium on vacant ground near the current St. James Station. This involves selling their current ground to a supermarket chain and it was given planning permission by Renfrewshire Council in 2005 for both the new stadium and supermarket plans. Work will begin imminently on the stadium once a buyer for the current site is found. This should further improve the area.