'Milestones' reached in town centre regeneration

A number of “significant milestones” have been reached in the attempt to regenerate Scotland’s town centres, according to a new report.

Funding of almost £300,000 has also been announced by the Scottish Government towards two initiatives intended to support town centre regeneration.

Today’s Scottish Government report said in the past 12 months a number of targets have been achieved, including an agreement between the Scottish cabinet and COSLA on the ‘town centre first’ principle, where Government, public bodies, businesses and communities put the health of town centres at the heart of decision-making.

Local Government and Planning Minister Derek Mackay, who will lead a debate on town centres in Holyrood later today, said: “The Scottish Government is determined that our town centres should be vibrant, attractive and safe places where local people and visitors alike want to spend their time and money.

“This goes beyond simply considering how to attract businesses and support local economies, but ensuring that we diversify town centres to support their place at the core of community life, offering spaces to meet and interact with access to facilities and services that people require.”

Other achievements include an expansion of the Fresh Start business rates relief scheme to pubs, hotels and restaurants; a record numbers of business properties in Scotland benefiting from an extension of the Small Business Bonus Scheme; and a growth in the number of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) helping to support economic growth in town centres.

The role of town centres has also been recognised in the new National Planning Framework 3 and Scottish Planning Policy and a £186,000 grant was given to strengthen the role of the Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP).

Last year an independent group was set up to look at how new life could be injected into towns across the country. Malcolm Fraser, who chaired the review, added: “It’s a fine thing to see the Scottish Government delivering, and good they understand that revitalising Scotland’s town centres is an ongoing process.

“It’s even better to recognise how many local authorities, community groups and individuals see how their own town centres are central to the wealth, sustainability and democratic accessibility of their whole community, and are taking advantage of the opportunities presented through the Town Centre Action Plan.”

Leigh Sparks, chairman of STP, said the new report shows clearly the “increasing depth of commitment and alignment” of policies and actions to support one of the key features of Scotland - its towns and town centres.

He said: “Across Scotland there is evidence of strong engagement to revitalise and re-imagine our town centres, and Scotland’s Towns Partnership is hugely encouraged by the significant and extensive progress on key issues to date.

“We will be working hard to maximise the potential for enhanced activity across as many communities as possible in the coming year.”