A new future for Scotland’s towns

Towns are often overlooked. They are, however, a key element of global urban infrastructure. Decline is not inevitable. Towns and town centres are for the well-being of people, the planet and the economy. Towns are for everyone, and everyone has a role to play in making our towns and town centres successful. The Scottish Government review, ‘A New Future for Scotland’s Towns’, is an attempt to use its town centres to help deal with COVID-19 recovery, tackle the climate emergency and deal with systemic market failures while attempting to rebalance taxation to enable collaborative and community-focused investment into town centres. The review captured input from a wide range of stakeholders, from pension funds and the commercial property sector to local government and community groups. Importantly, housing, digital, climate, transport, culture, health and economy sectors were engaged. The review also listened to the ‘unheard voices’ in society: migrants, poverty forums, young people, the disabled, etc. Communities felt disconnected but there was a recognition that some places were doing well and that we can learn from them. We discovered that there was a substantial over-provision of retail space and that housing and planning policies needed to adjust to allow more residential and mixed used solutions. Not enough was being done on climate, digital or well-being. There were systemic imbalances in how businesses were being taxed and how development was being encouraged. A positive interim response to the report has already been agreed by central and local government. The next step is driving these recommendations forward collectively and in close consultation with the key stakeholders. We expect this work will take place over summer 2021, with a new Town Centre Action Plan setting out detailed proposals to enact the recommendations in the autumn. This review will ensure that Scotland remains at the forefront of town centre regeneration; a holistic place-based approach involving all actors should see substantial improvements made over the coming years.