Chamber and committees

Bill Lindsay, have you had experience of that in Fife?

I would like to explore a couple of areas with the panel. We are all familiar with the term “agent of change” and the principle behind that. Has there been any significant change in or effect on town centre development as a result of that concept? I ask Craig Iles to answer first. [Interruption.]

I have a couple of areas that I would like to explore with you. In the evidence that we have received during this particular investigation, derelict land and buildings in town centres has consistently come up as a problem. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise have never used the compulsory purchase powers that are granted to them by the Enterprise and New Towns (Scotland) Act 1990. I would like to ask why not. I will come to Bryan McGrath first because I would like to check that SOSE has those powers.

Can I just clarify a statement that you made earlier, when you said that you had no plans to tackle derelict land and buildings? Is it not on your radar unless it comes up as part of a project that you are looking at or is it part of your long-term strategic plan? You seem to indicate you are not taking it into cognisance at all.

However, community representatives have come before the committee and said how important it is that compulsory purchase powers be used in order to bring derelict properties into some sort of commercial or other use.

Did that programme specifically include e-commerce?

Derek Shaw, what is happening in your patch?

One of the difficulties in looking ahead is that we do not know whether homeworking and hybrid working will continue, or at what level. It is difficult for people in planning to look ahead.

You are busy developing a new mutual investment model. How far along the road is that?

Given that it seems to have been fleshed out, would it also be possible to see the formula for that?