Brian Whittle MSP wants councils to have the power to exempt high street shops from paying business rates to give a boost to struggling retailers.
South Scotland MSP Brian says the plans, set out by the Scottish Conservatives would give councils more options when it comes to supporting local retailers and boosting struggling high streets, where footfall has fallen by nearly 40% this year.
The proposals would also include incentives to redevelop long-term unoccupied retail premises into housing to bring more people back into town centres.
Brian Whittle MSP said:
“Our high streets have been struggling to adapt to people’s changing shopping habits for years, and the pandemic has only accelerated this trend.
There is still a future for high streets but they need help to change. Giving councils the ability to exempt high street stores from business rates can help shops through this particularly challenging period and encourage other shops to open.
Many of the buildings on our high streets began life with a residential component but when high street shops became larger, those homes were lost. With many of the bigger chains now moving away from high streets, those spaces can become homes again and help to create a community around the high street.
We need fresh, ambitious thinking to help rebuild and renew town and village centres and that’s what these ideas offer.”
