Port Glasgow 2025

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As the original West End of Glasgow, come help us get our Community Action Plan in motion ❤️

19/10/2026

Looking for riders or any volunteers to help form a community club in the Renfrewshire county or close to Renfrewshire.

Plz message our page or call Dave on 07921857283

06/09/2026

❤️ Who’s Supporting Who? ❤️

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”

🙋‍♂️ This corner will always be D.P. Smiths!

🤔 The hardware store on this corner is fondly remembered but I think Alistair would have his work cut out competing with B&Q.

❤️ Most recently this corner of Bay Street/John Wood Street has been a charity shop.

This has supported up to 6 charities a year.

🤷‍♂️ These charity shops bring footfall to John Wood Street.

🤷‍♂️ These charity shops are paying £150 per week for the space, the same as you could rent a popup on the busy Kempock Street.

🤷‍♂️ Who’s supporting who here?

💔 The charity shop has been closed for the last year since a couple of tiles fell down due to a leak from the upstairs flat.

💔 The interior of this shop hasn’t changed since it was a bookies, it still has the brackets up from the TVs and has no heating.

💔 There’s a water tank to the rear of the shop which continually runs out to the back of the shops at 6 & 8 Bay Street, creating a slip hazard to their fire escape.

💔 Even with the rents of £150 per week this shop makes a loss, costing the Common Good Fund on average £4,000 per year instead of generating an income of around £10,000.

💔 It would be better to give the charities the shop for free for the full year, it would make more financial sense.

❤️ A Charity Pop up is a great idea if managed properly. Is this corner still the right location for it?

❤️ There are 4 vacant shops on Church Street which are costing over £1,000 each in empty business rates to keep closed.

❤️ Using these on a “meanwhile use” basis across the 6 charities would give them a semi permanent space for free all year round, with a total saving of £8,000 per year.

❤️ Plus the charities wouldn’t need to find £150 each week before they even sell a cardigan.

❤️ How do we reactivate the high streets and provide joined up structured support to entrepreneurs, social enterprises, and charities to get the most out of the spaces we have?

D.P. smith may be gone but we still have the tools and ability to fix this ❤️💪

05/09/2026

Anyone help Jax Snax out in Port Glasgow with a spare pair of hands today?

04/09/2026

❤️ Jumbo Opportunity ❤️

🙋‍♂️ Who still misses Jumbo card and gift shop?

🤔 Was this shop originally called Gourdies? Then Flower Vogue? Then Jumbo? Or is old age creeping up on me?

❤️ Is there scope here for an independent gift shop:

❤️ Gifts you can’t find in Tesco or Card Factory?
❤️ Hand made local gifts?
❤️ Maker space for crafters to collaborate and sell
❤️ Fresh flowers

15 John Wood Street is a huge shop and could host 2 or 3 complimentary businesses.

Is this street the gift that keeps on giving or are we going to leave it vacant another year?

03/09/2026

❤️ Star Attraction ❤️

The Star Hotel has served the Port Glasgow community since it was built in the early 1900s.

There was another Star Hotel that sat in roughly the same position before being demolished to make John Wood Street/Station Road.

🙋‍♂️ What’s happening with The Star?

🤔 A frequently asked question. We spoke to the owners of The Star last week when the building contractors came back onsite.

There is a commitment to complete this project and renovate the upper floors to flats and commercial units on the ground floor.

💔 When we first inspected this building in 2023 the upper floors were being held up with Acro Props to prevent them caving in.

💔 The building needed at least £200,000 worth of structural works just to make it wind and watertight and structurally safe.

❤️ Since the new owners have taken it over the entire roof has been replaced and all floors have been removed and reinstated.

❤️ Most of the structural works have taken place and now fit out works need carried out.

It was also reported in yesterday’s Telegraph that the new owners expect works to be completed by next year.

🤔❤️ So what would you like to see in the fabulous building?

I’m sure regulars of The Star would love to see the pub reinstated.

Being just across from the station maybe a cafe/coffee shop?

❤️🙋‍♂️ What would you do to make this building proud?

02/09/2026

❤️ Who Killed The High Street? ❤️

The death of the high street is usually attributed to Amazon and online shopping.

🙋‍♂️ The high street was more than just shops?

🤔 Traditionally our high streets had a huge percentage of its frontage as retail. Before you had Tesco and online shopping we had fish shops, green grocers, butchers, clothes stores, shoe shops, etc

🙋‍♂️ So how do we get that back?

🤔 You can never set the clock back, but you can work with what you have.

We need to offer the things that online shopping and big warehouse shops can’t offer.

We need the right mix of shops that give something for everyone, making them affordable and being a space for community to be a community is where we need to go.

🙋‍♂️ Kempock Street in Gourock is really successful, can we not just copy that?

🤔 Well yes and no. Kempock Street is great but also struggles to be fully occupied.

What they do well is have a good mix of complimentary shops that feed off each other. Kempock Street isn’t mainly a retail street, it’s a day out.

❤️ How do we do this in a street like John Wood Street or Church Street?

We need to think about the things you don’t buy online or that work well online but better offline:

❤️ Food and Drink - getting a takeaway delivered to your door has never been easier, but it’s also really expensive.

❤️ Preloved Clothes - Vinted is great but who doesn’t love a browse and a rummage in person? Alteration services, clothes to loan for funerals, weddings, etc. Workshops to upcycle your own clothes, local designers, fashion shows

🤷‍♂️ How do we create restaurants and cafes that serve the community? Food as infrastructure, cost effective, nutritious and delicious.?

Creating spaces for families, couples and individuals to come together and feel part of the community.

🤷‍♂️ How do we create retail spaces that you can’t buy online, hand made, personal service,

Spaces that feel like a retail experience rather than a transaction, something that you can’t replicate on a screen?

❤️ How would you reimagine this corner if you had your wish?

(This corner is 10 John Wood Street - currently needs completely remodelled inside, asbestos ceiling removed and rewired.

The 9 flats above are empty - 6 RCH and 3 private - 2 of the private flats are fire damaged.

The RCH flat directly above the shop has dry rot which is reportedly eating into the ceiling of the shop.)

❤️🙏 As much as all of this work needs done, RCH have fixed the cracking and separating stonework which was a major threat to the building.

If you keep your chin up and look up you will see stonework replaced and pinned by RCH after our campaigning in 2023.

Much work to be done, but just getting started and we will keep the pressure up.

Just keep the chin up

01/09/2026

❤️ Twin Shops ❤️

No 6 & 8 John Wood Street always strikes me as if they should come as a pair.

❤️ Number 8 until recently was Wuggs Rolls until James and Wilma retired.

We tried to rent it after they gave up their lease but the asbestos roof is now waiting to be replaced so couldn’t follow through on a lease.

A nice cafe/deli with home made cakes, filled rolls, great coffee…

❤️ Number 6 appears to have been nothing since it was Griffin’s shoe shop.

While the shop wasn’t open to the public it did have a tenant who used it for storage.

Reimagined here as a popup shop, bringing variety to the street with a different weekly trader.

❤️ Both these shops have features that date back to when they were first built, especially number 6, with an old range, curved window, awning and original shutters.

🙋‍♂️ What kind of shops/traders would you like to see fill a new pop-up?

31/08/2026

❤️ Heart of the community ❤️

The pub has always been at the heart of the community.

Today Port Glasgow has 3 excellent pubs that serve the community:

❤️ Donnachies
❤️ The Comet Bar
❤️ The Caledonian Bar

Each of these pubs have their regulars and a special place within the community.

🤔 Port Glasgow Futures proposes a community owned pub in the oldest purpose built public house in Port Glasgow.

🤔 The Prince Of Wales pub at 12 Bay Street has been closed for 11 years since 2015.

🤔 We agreed heads of terms on this property in 2021, on the condition that the building is made wind and water tight, 5 years later the roof still leaks.

❤️ A community pub, owned by the community, with shares which can be cashed in
❤️ Own a share in your own community pub

🙋‍♂️ There are over 400 residential properties within 200 metres of this pub
🙋‍♂️ Train station and bus stop within 100 metres
🙋‍♂️ Offices, health centre, gym, swimming baths, etc

🤔 Is this a viable business?

There’s only one way to find out.

“In 1790 when the population was 4,000 residents, there were no fewer than 81 public houses”

😂 Going back to this would be overkill, but it certainly could accommodate one more

29/08/2026

❤️ Port Glasgow Futures ❤️

“Most communities have stuff done to them, frequently they have things done for them, seldom do they have things done with them”

Having spent over 2 years as PG25 listening to what people want, more frequently listening to what they don’t want, we have a list!

❤️ Town Centre Activation
❤️ Gateway to Clyde Muirshiel
❤️ Coastal Trail & Tourism

Port Glasgow Futures are now going to take this forward, with partners.

On Friday the 4th September you have a chance to come help shape that.

If you want to get involved get along and see what’s going on.

Those who have expressed an interest in the past we will be emailing you to encourage you to reconnect - your patience is appreciated.

Port Glasgow’s Future is your future, don’t let someone else write it.

Riverside Club - Fore Street, Port Glasgow

Friday 4th September - 9.30am to 4pm

Morning sessions are by appointment - message us.

Afternoon session will be a drop in.

28/08/2026

❤️ Comet Market ❤️

"It always seems impossible until it's done." Nelson Mandela

🤔 How do we connect an overflowing retail park with a half empty high street?

🙋‍♂️ The pinch point separating these 2 is Argyll Parade and the area around the Comet.

🌭 Food Trucks
🎪 Market Stalls
🚘 Car Boot Sales

🙋‍♂️ So this is a farmers market every week?

🤔 No, the idea would be to have different themed markets.

Farmers Markets, Young Person’s Markets, Food Markets, Christmas Markets, ….

🤔 What kind of markets would you add to this list?
🤔 Would a car boot sale be better held on a Sunday as a separate event?

500,000 shoppers visit our retail park every month, what are we going to offer them?

Address

15 John Wood Street
Port Glasgow
PA145HU

Opening Hours

10am - 4pm

Website

http://portglasgow2025.com/

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