New blueprint to help town centres recover from Covid

New measures designed to revitalise town centres in the wake of the Covid pandemic have been published.

A joint report by the Scottish government and council body Cosla also details actions designed to tackle climate change.

Recommendations include a drive to reduce vehicle emissions and further investment in low carbon transport.

It also calls for the creation of more green space and greater accessibility to reduce unnecessary car journeys.

Other proposals include incentives for entrepreneurs and the introduction of a new online sales tax, designed to help traditional businesses compete with internet-only rivals.

Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur said town centres were vital for the country's economic, environmental and social wellbeing.

He added: "The actions in this report provide a framework to meet our ambitions and give communities the freedom and confidence to deliver locally.

"They will help improve our town centres following the pandemic and deliver net zero climate ambitions whilst promoting better planning and delivering enhanced digital capabilities for businesses and residents."

Mr Arthur said the review was designed to create enterprising communities.

He added: "We all have a role to play in ensuring our towns and town centres deliver the needs of the whole community and these actions will help us deliver that ambition by creating healthier, fairer, greener and more successful towns."

Other recommended measures include using the planning system to limit out of town development and tax relief for businesses that generate more energy from renewable sources.

The report also urges developers to install and optimise digital connectivity in new town centre housing developments.

The review was chaired by Prof Leigh Sparks of the University of Stirling and builds on the Scottish government's National Review of Town Centres, which was published in 2013.

Last year Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said the virus had forced a rethink of how towns were supported.

In her foreword to A New Future for Scotland's Town Centres, Ms Campbell said: "Covid-19 has brought new and serious economic challenge to our towns and places and has required us to look again at how we support them."

Reversing the decline of the high street is a challenge that pre-dated the pandemic.

Factors blamed include the boom in online shopping and the popularity of out-of-town shopping centres.

Two months before Scotland's first confirmed Covid case a radical new blueprint for Paisley town centre was unveiled.

It included a high street cinema, European-style food hall and more room for pedestrians.

Last year work started on a £42m revamp of Paisley Museum in the latest stage of the town's regeneration.