Hansard

I start with a declaration of interest. Like many in the chamber, as a member of a local authority I have been involved in planning issues for a number of years. I am sure that my colleagues in East Ayrshire Council will warmly welcome the opportunity to bid for some of the £8 million from the extended conservation area regeneration scheme announced by the minister.

My views are informed by my experience of dealing with local planning matters and by the views I hear expressed by colleagues, council officers and local communities. Some members have mentioned that on occasion Historic Scotland gets a bad press. It is sometimes portrayed as a barrier to development, especially by prospective developers. It is seen as too slow to respond and lacking in the detailed local knowledge needed to make the decisions that are asked of it. On the other hand, those with a specific interest in the historic environment often portray local authorities as lacking in vision, being too focused on current pressures and lacking the specialist knowledge needed to manage the historic environment. The result of those competing stereotypes is that local authorities and Historic Scotland have been tasked with dual responsibility for scrutinising developments. That is often wasteful of resources, slows the development process down and compounds the lack of clarity about responsibilities.

The stereotypes, however, do not stand up to scrutiny. While preparing my speech, I was struck by the positive side to the relationship between Historic Scotland and East Ayrshire Council. Specifically, Historic Scotland has been supportive of the authority's approach to conservation areas. At the recent Scottish awards for quality in planning, the overall award went to East Ayrshire Council for its maintenance manual, which was produced for the John Finnie Street conservation area in Kilmarnock, a project that received support and considerable funding from Historic Scotland. It has also been supportive of our council's action to serve listed buildings repair notices on the former ABC cinema in Kilmarnock. Nevertheless, we might wish to strengthen our powers when, for example, rogue owners strip a building of its internal fabric, which may be of historical and architectural value. I hope that the extended delegated powers that the minister announced might assist us in that regard.

Recent changes in Historic Scotland's approach have been warmly welcomed. It has become more proactive, it is engaging more directly on service delivery and it is consulting and sharing expertise. Such partnership working should be developed and replicated across Scotland. I am pleased that the minister encouraged that approach.

I am also encouraged by the minister's remarks about the planning responsibilities of local authorities. The planning process should be the critical link between local authorities and Historic Scotland. It is within that process, led by local authorities, that the balance is struck between protecting the historic environment and the local community's changing needs and aspirations. The national planning framework and the changing relationship between the Scottish Government and local authorities are important developments. All the partners will have to meet new challenges and must be equipped to respond to them.

I fully support the HEACS recommendations for an audit of local authority capacity and for a rebalancing of the relationship between local authorities and Historic Scotland. Whatever the outcome of the audit, it should not be used as an excuse to halt the momentum for change. A return to the era of a command and control relationship between the Government and local authorities is not an option.

We can see the failure of that approach in cities, towns and villages throughout Scotland over many years. Whole tracts of successful, long-established urban environments were decimated in the name of progress, or modernism, as it might have been called in those days, with no strategic goals and little community involvement or approval for many of the schemes.

We are learning to our cost that, when we make big mistakes in the fabric of our urban areas, we live with the consequences for many years. Communities recognise that, as I am sure do the members in the chamber. We must therefore give our communities a pivotal role in the development of their local environment. The historic environment provides a sense of place for our communities. It distinguishes one community from another in a way that too many recent developments have not done. It can also provide a strong base on which to build new economic development, either by remaining in active use or as a strong component in attracting tourists to view unique parts of our heritage.

Historic Scotland has for many years played a key role in protecting the historic environment, but Scotland needs to change and the way in which we manage our historic environment needs to change with it. Scotland's local authorities should exercise more power locally and therefore be more accountable to their electorate.

We need to set out clearly our national vision and the outcomes that we want to achieve, and we must identify the resources required to deliver them. It should be possible to set new standards while encouraging local flexibility. Challenging times lie ahead. The development of Scotland's cities, towns and villages can successfully embrace the past while looking ahead and planning for an exciting future. I am delighted to support the Government's motion.