Meeting of the Parliament 26 January 2017
I am no planning expert. One of the first pieces of advice that I was given when I got into politics was to stay away from planning. I am not the only member to do that.
The views of the community should be taken into account, but ultimately local authorities are best placed to make decisions, and decisions should not be overturned by a central body. I hope that that answers the question, but if it does not I will be happy to research the issue further and to write to Andy Wightman.
I will carry on with my point about connectivity. Digital connectivity is in my portfolio and I am very much interested in it. We rely on the internet to fill in our tax returns, to stream entertainment, to choose energy suppliers and to shop around. The people who miss out on that infrastructure are missing out on hundreds of pounds of savings each year. I am passionate about digital participation, which should start not when a person moves into their house, but in the planning process. We heard today at First Minister’s question time about new housing developments in our cities that do not have access to high-speed fibre; new housing schemes—not antiquated inherited structures.
Good planning should consider the impact of technologies such as fibre and 5G and how they can be integrated into local environments. There are some great examples of that. Renfrewshire Council is currently rolling out public access to wi-fi in its town centres. The council estimates that that will increase the number of visitors to the town centres, with a quarter of them spending more time in the area because of the free wi-fi. That will have a knock-on effect on retail.
In summary, good planning is based on reliable information and community participation, but it must also have connectivity at its heart, because that will lead not just to better places but to happier places.
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