Tag Archives: Fraser review

Should every encouragement have an equal and opposite discouragement?

This is the third in a loosely linked series of posts arising in part from the publication of the draft National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the New Future for Scotland’s Town Centres The first post was my discussion of … Continue reading

Posted in 20 Minute Neighbourhood, Car Parking, Climate Emergency, community wealth building, Consumer Change, Government, High Streets, Housing, Internet shopping, New Future for Scotland's Towns, NPF4, Place Based Investment Programme, Places, Planning, Policy, Politicians, Public Policy, Rates, Regulation, Retail Change, Retail Impact Assessments, Retail Planning, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Tax, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Scotland’s Town Centre Action Plan Review

On 1st July 2020, it was announced that an Expert Review Group had been formed by the Scottish Government to undertake an appraisal of the Town Centre Action Plan published in 2013 as a response to the National Review of … Continue reading

Posted in Barclay Review, BIDS, Bids Scotland, Bill Grimsey, Community, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Consumers, Government, Health, Internet shopping, Local Retailers, Public Realm, Retail Change, Retailers, Scotland, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Shopping, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Action Plan Review Group, town centre first, Town Centre Living, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Towns and Town Centres in Scotland: reflections six years on from Fraser

I was recently asked to do a 10 minute reflection on the state of towns and town centres in Scotland and the work that has derived from the Fraser Review (the National Review of Town Centres) and from Scotland’s Towns Partnership. … Continue reading

Posted in BIDS, Bids Scotland, Consumer Change, Consumer Lifestyle, Creative Places, Development Trusts, Government, High Streets, Internet shopping, Local Authorities, Mary Portas, Online Retailing, Place Standard, Places, Planning, Policy, Rates, Regeneration, Reinvention, Rents, Retail Change, Retail Policy, Retailers, Scotland's Improvement Districts, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Scottish Government, Tax, TCRF, Town Centre Action Plan, town centre first, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Putting Towns on the Policy Map: Understanding Scottish Places (USP) and Data

As an academic, I probably have an irrational interest in data.  To a great extent it is academic life-blood and I seem to have spent a lot of my adult life either obsessing or arguing over it.  It therefore really … Continue reading

Posted in Academics, Bill Grimsey, Consumer Change, Data, High Streets, Internet shopping, Large Store Levy, Leadership, Local Authorities, Online Retailing, Rates, Retail Change, Retailers, Sales, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scottish Retail Consortium, Scottish Retailing, Shop Numbers, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns, Uncategorized, Understanding Scottish Places | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Town Centre Action Plan – One Year On

At the Scotland’s Towns Partnership Conference in Inverness last November, I extracted a pledge/promise (but most definitely not a vow) from the Towns Minister Derek Mackay to, one year on, reflect on progress against his Town Centre Action Plan (TCAP). … Continue reading

Posted in BIDS, Government, High Streets, Local Data Company, Planning, Public Realm, Rates, Regeneration, Rents, Retail Planning, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Scotland's Towns Partnership, Town Centre Action Plan, Town Centre Review, Town Centres, Towns | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Debating Points

On the 16th January there was a debate in the Scottish Parliament – not a long one mind – on the Government’s Town Centre Action Plan. The Official Record of the debate is available on the Parliament’s website and I … Continue reading

Posted in Government, High Streets, Places, Rates, Regulation, Retail Diversity, Retail Policy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Scotland’s Towns Week, 18-24 November 2013

  The situation facing Scotland’s Towns has been a recurring theme in the media. It has risen up the political and public agenda in recent years, most notably in the political sphere with the Scottish Government’s ground-breaking (but sadly one-off, … Continue reading

Posted in Government, High Streets, Local Retailers, MSPs, Places, Public Realm, Retail Policy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Government Speaks, and …

Last Thursday, all eyes turned to Kilmarnock as Derek Mackay launched the Scottish Government’s response to the Fraser Review (the National Review of Town Centres). The response, with its 37 actions, had been eagerly awaited over the Autumn, and now … Continue reading

Posted in Bill Grimsey, Government, High Streets, Places, Rates, Regulation, Retail Policy, Scotland's Town and High Streets, Town Centre Review, Town Centres | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments