Councillors have approved plans for cars and taxis to be able to enter Paisley's pedest-rianised street between 4pm and 10.30am in a bid to inject new life into the economy.

It follows an 11-year fight to reopen the heart of the town, which has been a mix of one-way roads and bus lanes since the High Street was pedestrianised in 1997.

Paisley has suffered from the attractions of the indoor Braehead shopping centre, which offers free parking, and shop sales have slumped by 50% in recent years.

A traffic order already exists allowing access to service vehicles via Moss Street, County Place and Gilmour Street. Members of the council's planning and property policy board also agreed to look into a second phase of the scheme.

These involve changes to the road layout to allow traffic to enter the High Street from Gauze Street and St Mirren Brae.

Renfrewshire Council leader Mark Macmillan said: "Over the years, the pedestrianisation has been subject to much discussion, and we have listened to that debate.

"These proposals have received broad support from the local business community.

"We are not suggesting this will solve every issue connected with the High Street.

"This is an attempt to try something different and to see how it works."