Chamber and committees

I do not know whether the member misheard me. Just in case he missed it, today, we have announced additional investment in Aberdeen. The SNP Scottish Government is investing up to £1 million in the centre of Aberdeen. [Interruption.] I will say that again, because I do not think that Mr Kerr caught it the first time: up to £1 million of investment is being put into the centre of Aberdeen by the SNP Scottish Government. He could at least show some cheer and support that.

Jackie Dunbar raises a really important point. It is about how we utilise retail and hospitality. On a day-to-day basis, there is a functional element to city centres—people need to pop out for a pint of milk and a loaf of bread, so they go into a shop to buy them—but there is also an experiential element, which is about the range of shops, particularly unique ones that are specific to a place, the environment and the interaction between the retail and hospitality offer. That is extremely important.

The other, intangible aspect is heritage—the cultural history and stories of a particular place. Community-led regeneration projects are important because they bring to bear the stories and shared experience of a place.

The Our Aberdeen app is just one example of the work that the Our Union Street team have been involved in. It is an innovative digital tool that has helped to engage the community and showcase the wide range of activity that is taking place across the city centre. It is an outstanding example of using contemporary technology—a digital app—to enable people to fully explore an area’s heritage and to discover the fantastic range of shops and services that are on offer.

I appreciate the question that the member asks. I want to provide reassurance on the Government’s commitment to working constructively towards the reopening of the palace and winter gardens. I do not want to pre-empt where those discussions will lead to and the specific funding package that will be brought together, which could include elements of match funding.

However, we are committed to working on that constructively. I have come to Parliament, proactively, to make a statement on the back of a manifesto commitment—and Government commitment—to working towards the reopening of the People’s Palace. I hope that that provides the member with reassurance.

As the discussions progress, I am happy to keep Glasgow region members—and, indeed, members across the wider chamber, should they be interested—updated on the nature of the discussions and the progress that we are making, including specifically on the financing of the project.

I highlight that the commitment in Aberdeen was a manifesto commitment—I want to put that on the record to avoid any dubiety or misunderstandings that members may innocently stray into.

However, I welcome the member’s question, which recognises the importance of the People’s Palace and winter gardens, and the fact that it is cherished by many, not only across the east end of Glasgow but across Scotland. Indeed, many members in the chamber will have childhood memories of visiting it, perhaps as part of a school outing.

The member’s two central points were about the funding that the Scottish Government will bring forward and the securing of ongoing community engagement. I want to be clear that the work must be community led—I sought to reflect that in my statement. I want to ensure that the work of the partnership group that we bring together complements that engagement and provides national support for something that is community led. I am open to all suggestions from members to ensure that the voices of communities are heard. Too often, communities, particularly those in places such as the east end of Glasgow, had things done to them, not with them. This is their People’s Palace, and I want to make sure that their voices are not just heard but integral to what comes next.

With regard to funding, there have been challenges, which have been recognised and covered in the media. I want us to sit down and work with a range of partners, recognising that there are many shared interests and funders, to identify an appropriate funding package to make sure that that work can be delivered. With regard to the commitment from the Scottish Government, I will endeavour to keep Parliament up to date.

I concur entirely with Dawn Black. A powerful point that cannot be stressed enough is the importance of community-led regeneration. Empowering communities and giving them national support is a fundamentally different approach from what prevailed in decades past, when things were done to communities.

Community-led regeneration is not just good in terms of engaging communities in the here and now—it leads to better outcomes. No one knows their place as well as the people who live there. Harnessing that expertise, as the Our Union Street campaign is doing, is leading to the excellent, tangible results that we are seeing.

I recognise the member’s significant and long-standing interest in this area. He is right to draw attention to what was promised when the People’s Palace was opened in 1898. That is a commitment that we have a collective responsibility to keep, so I assure him that there is no watering down of it. I want to ensure that we are working collaboratively; we recognise that a range of partners is involved in the delivery of the project—including, most importantly, the local community—as well as a range of funders.

I recognise the member’s interest in the matter, and I am happy to engage with him closely on it. I assure him of the Scottish Government’s commitment to working constructively with partners to ensure that the People’s Palace and the winter gardens are reopened.

I assure Clare Haughey and her constituents of the Scottish Government’s commitment on that. I am not in a position to give a definitive timescale for the reopening, but, naturally, I want that to happen as quickly as is practicably possible.

Clare Haughey highlights to the chamber another important point, which is the value of learning lessons from history, particularly of the post-war era, when many treasures of our architectural heritage—not just in Glasgow, but more widely across Scotland—were lost to post-war planning. That is a mistake that we must never repeat. The People’s Palace and its winter gardens are a treasure and a national asset, as well as an asset for the east end of Glasgow. We have to work constructively and collaboratively to save them, and that is what the Scottish Government will do in partnership.

I have covered some of those points in previous answers, but I note that community voices have been central to shaping the project, with more than 6,300 people contributing their views, stories and lived experiences. That extensive engagement has directly informed the refurbishment designs, ensuring that the museum will reflect the diversity and identity of the city. It is a significant project, and I reiterate the Government’s commitment not just to working with partners to deliver it, but to ensuring that it reflects the priorities, views and values of the people who live in the area.

The benefits that will be conferred are significant in and of themselves. An immediate impact can be achieved simply by improving the appearance of an area. For example, dressing a shop front can significantly change attitudes and perceptions. Such simple, small interventions can be impactful in catalysing an investment. I highlighted some of those small interventions in my remarks—the shop-front improvements, cleaning and maintenance of the street, and digital innovation.

Cumulatively, all of that can help to boost confidence, but it creates a multiplier effect because, when one shop becomes occupied and starts trading, that acts as a catalyst for shops next door to become occupied. It draws more people into the centre and, indeed, can help to encourage more residents to move into the centre as well. The investment that has been put in over the past few years, as well as working in partnership, is having a positive impact and we are keen to accelerate that, which is why we are going to provide additional investment of up to £600,000.

Maggie Chapman raises important points. One of the lessons of regeneration in previous decades has been that, although it is possible to come in with significant capital investment to improve infrastructure and buildings, if there is not accompanying work to rewire local economies, we can sometimes, 10, 15 or 20 years later, find ourselves back at square 1. Regeneration must be about more than coming in and improving just the façade and appearance of an area; it must be sustainable. The points that Maggie Chapman made about retaining the wealth that is generated in a place are crucial in that regard.

This week is Scotland loves local week. The small local businesses that will be populating Union Street and many other high streets the length and breadth of Scotland disproportionately employ and procure locally, and the wealth that they generate therefore remains within their communities.

Such an initiative, which involves working in partnership with the business improvement district, is consistent with community wealth building. Of course, community wealth building is now on the statute book, and we can look forward to its implementation over the course of this parliamentary session.