 The next item of business is a member's business debate on motion 2, 4, 4, 5, in the name of Gordon Lindhurst on the future of Edinburgh's world heritage site. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put, and I would ask those who wish to speak in the debate to press the request-to-speak buttons now. I call on Gordon Lindhurst to open the debate up to seven minutes, please, Mr Lindhurst. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. We have in Edinburgh a unique and special treasure, an old city dominated by a medieval fortress and a new, new classic city. The harmonious juxtaposition of these two highly contrasting historic areas, each containing many buildings of great significance. I am quoting, of course, from the UNESCO World Heritage Listing, which was awarded in 1995 to the old and new towns of Edinburgh. One of my own early memories is of standing on the castle ramparts about the age of six together with my younger brother. Everywhere was covered in mist, and little could be seen. Seemingly, in an instant, the mist cleared, and I could see down into Princess Street gardens and beyond. It was for me a magical and lasting moment, a picture in time from a day trip to this great city. Like so many visitors to Edinburgh before and since, I was captured by its incredible beauty and contrast. That is what draws the four million tourists to our capital city every year, a record unmatched in the UK outwith London. Visitors flocking to Edinburgh Castle, St Giles Cathedral, the real Merry Kings Close, to name but a few attractions. They bring a wealth of interest and spend over £1 billion creating tens of thousands of jobs. A recent first-time visitor to the city in his 70s, someone who, like myself, has travelled the world in the Seven Seas, told me that Edinburgh was an amazing place in like nowhere he had ever seen before on earth. Sometimes we cease to appreciate what we should enjoy. Familiarity can even breed contempt. Many buildings change hands and change use. I think of the former building in which Charlotte Baptist Chapel met in Rose Street and of its new meeting place in Chandwick Place, the former St George's West, which has been given a new lease of life as a place of worship. One building's fate may indeed be another's fortune. It is against this background of the outstanding built heritage that Edinburgh has that I have brought today's debate to our national Parliament in the hope that it will help to assist in the preservation of the irreplaceable for generations to come. Today's debate comes at a significant time for this World Heritage Site and the City of Edinburgh. The city is not simply a museum, but a living place that continues to develop in our modern day. As convener of the economy committee of the Scottish Parliament, I understand the need for this. I was delighted to learn that Edinburgh taught the FDI Intelligence Global Cities for the future awards this week, recognising the work that has been done to attract 25 new foreign investors last year alone. Continued success of the city as an attractive place to live, work and do business depends on its roots. Protection of the World Heritage Site is not a bar to this, but complements it. Business is benefit from the world-renowned setting, even as our city's benefits from the investment generated. Edinburgh World Heritage, for example, does fantastic work to ensure that the World Heritage Site is a positive force for good to benefit everyone. This is on the basis that UNESCO status should not prevent but rather result in properly managed change in the context of 75 per cent of buildings within the World Heritage Site being listed. Given this background, what are a few steps that can now be taken for Edinburgh? First of all, I would say that the management plan for the World Heritage Site needs to be integrated better into the city plan, which oversees how Edinburgh develops. Having a management plan that is simply latched onto the side of the city plan tends to lead to complications. Overseeing development in tandem with maintaining Edinburgh's heritage is something that all levels of government need to sharply focus on. There are voices at a local council level supporting this ambition, such as that of Councillor Joanna Mouet, who I believe is with us in the gallery today, and of course Adam Wilkinson, November World Heritage, who I think equally is here today. Secondly, the upkeep of building fabric in the city centre is also crucial. A recent survey reported that 72 per cent of 202 properties surveyed needed some sort of repair. The upkeep of private property is as essential to Edinburgh's World Heritage Site status as the need to have managed change. This represents an aspect of community buy-in to Edinburgh's heritage that should be strongly emphasised and supported. That community buy-in is only likely to happen, however, if there is a greater understanding and an appreciation of what it means to be a World Heritage Site. Recent survey results gathered to inform the management plan for 2017 to 2022 are both encouraging and concerning. Awareness of the city centre's World Heritage Site was rated highly, but most respondents were unaware of what it meant and what the benefits were. By promoting the World Heritage Site and talking up the benefits it brings, we can foster the maintenance that is required. However, that alone may not be enough. Following the scrapping of the former statutory notice repair system by Edinburgh City Council, city residents find themselves left in somewhat of a vacuum. Thought must be given as to how maintenance work can be managed and encouraged, possibly through legislation or other incentives. Let me sum up. My goal in bringing today's debate before the Parliament has been to raise awareness of the importance of Edinburgh's UNESCO status during a period of change in Scotland's capital city. May I close by saying that it is not just Edinburgh, but many parts of our country that enjoy a rich, built heritage that needs protecting for the future. Let us maintain and manage it for the good of all as we move into that future. Many thanks, Presiding Officer. First of all, I would like to commend Gordon Lindhurst for bringing this important debate to the Parliament. As already communicated to the Presiding Officer, I have a commitment, a policing sub-committee that starts at one o'clock, so please excuse me, colleagues, when I have to leave after this speech. The reason I wanted to speak was because I am incredibly passionate about this issue and the need to sustain and preserve this wonderful city in which we are in. I have been in love with the city of Edinburgh as far back as I can remember, having grown up in the city and the views from our seven hills, the view from Northbridge, and the feeling of inspiration walking around the new town as a hub of enlightenment, thinking about how James Cart Maxwell or Adam Smith may have sat down at a point or walked along a street and all the different ideas and innovation and inspiration that has come out of the city and in modern times as well from JK Rowling and others. With a deep appreciation for the city in both its urban environment and its soul, I think that the points that Gordon Lindhurst makes both in the motion and in his opening address could not be overemphasised. We need to think about how we preserve the city and think about it in the context of mistakes that have perhaps been made in the past. There were plans in decades past to build an inner ring road through Edinburgh and, thankfully, that was put to one side. There are streets in all of our constituencies, those of us who are lucky enough to represent the city, where in hindsight the destruction that was caused in decades past would not happen today. We need to learn from those mistakes. As Gordon Lindhurst wisely said, we need to treasure the city. It is key to our urban environment, those of us who live here and those of us who work here, but it is also key to our economic prosperity. It is what makes Edinburgh special in the world. Those of us who have travelled and come back to Edinburgh and felt that sense of being home and that inspiration as we come into the city centre can get a kind of insight into what it must be like as a first-time visitor coming to the city. It is that landscape, that beauty that Edinburgh has that is so inspirational and also so economically important as the motion states 4 million visitors a year and 1.32 billion that is generated through tourism. I will touch briefly on the time that I have remaining on some of the points that Gordon Lindhurst rightly raised, but also on one other. I think that those of us who represent Edinburgh have a responsibility and I hope a determination to work together on the call to action that Gordon Lindhurst articulates in his motion about raising awareness and also taking a sense of custodianship and promoting a sense of custodianship about this city. To me there are two main factors that we can focus on in order to do that as well as raising awareness. One is the tenement buildings that Gordon Lindhurst rightly raised and the fact that the statutory notice issues that were previously exposed in years gone by. We now need to think how we move towards a new system in order to sustain the tenement urban infrastructure of this city. I am absolutely delighted to work with colleagues in Edinburgh to do that. In terms of planning, I think that we also have an opportunity with the planning bill that will come to this Parliament to think how we balance the desire for more homes and also the need to develop our economy with the need to value and preserve heritage and to do that in the spirit of emphasising on quality, design and vision. I commend Gordon Lindhurst for bringing this important motion to the Parliament and I share his determination to gain collective responsibility for the custodianship of this wonderful city. Miles Pritz, followed by Andy Wightman. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to start by congratulating my colleague Gordon Lindhurst on securing today's debate. I would also like to welcome to the gallery representatives from Edinburgh World Heritage and Councillor Joanna Mawrth, who represents the city centre ward on Edinburgh City Council and who I know from my dealings with Joanna Mawrth has been working on this issue within the city chambers. In thinking about today's debate, I couldn't help but think about another world heritage site, perhaps most in our thoughts today, the ancient city of Aleppo. The human suffering caused by this situation is already extreme. That the fighting has destroyed cultural heritage, that bears witness to the country's millennial history, valued and admired the world over, makes it even more tragic. I agree with Gordon Lindhurst about the importance of Edinburgh's world heritage site. The unique, contrasting yet complementary combination of the history and character of the old town and the neoclassical grandeur of the Georgian new town makes our capital city rightly one of the top tourist destinations worldwide and plays a vital role in attracting over 4 million tourists to the city each year, as has already been mentioned. Our iconic cityscape is intangibly linked to Scotland's history, heritage and culture and a key part of Scotland's global image as the Athens of the North. It is easy to take our surroundings for granted, but we should recognise that many cities across Europe and the world look to Edinburgh with great envy. Tourism income in Edinburgh is critically important for both Edinburgh and the Lothian region, and the economic value of the world heritage site must be recognised. It literally helps to underpin the jobs of thousands of my Lothian residents and constituents and injects huge sums into the local and national economy. As demonstrated clearly by Edinburgh's world heritage survey, there is a very significant public support for our world heritage status, and in all sections of the community recognises it is a beneficial designation. However, more needs to be done to raise awareness of what that means. Gordon Lindhurst spoke about the importance of maintaining properties within the world heritage site in a good state of repair, and I agree with his sentiments. We should pay tribute today to the many private owners whose upkeep of buildings in the site benefits all of us, and I believe that we should examine how we can support those owners through grant schemes and other incentives. As Edinburgh's world heritage has suggested, building maintenance is a big part of the threat to our world heritage site as inappropriate new developments. On that very subject, the challenge for all involved in planning and development in our city is how to preserve and maintain our world heritage site, in tandem with expanding our economy in a fast-growing city where more and more people want to come visit and live and invest. Those things are not mutually exclusive and we must aim for a sustainable and successful coexistence between them. The world heritage site management plan is rightly not just about preservation, but also facilitating positive change to help to ensure that Edinburgh is the dynamic and evolving city that we all love. We should not consider Edinburgh's heritage as an impediment or obstacle to modern development, but rather a creative challenge to which planners and developers should be able to rise to that challenge as they have in the past through developments of the new town itself and Victorian and later added additions of the old and new towns. In concluding, I again very much welcome today's debate and believe that it is timely and appropriate that our Parliament is debating Edinburgh's world heritage site, as this is an issue not just of local interest but national and indeed international significance. I look to the Scottish Government to work with all local stakeholders in the city of Edinburgh world heritage to support both the maintenance and enhancement of our city's heritage and sympathetic and imaginative developments in the future, which will further enhance the unique built environment of Scotland's capital, as Gordon Lindhurst has said, for the generations to come. Andy Wightman, followed by Alexander Stewart. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I welcome this debate and thank Gordon Lindhurst for tabling this motion. I have taken a long interest in world heritage sites from the time when I was a student at Aberdeen University when we campaigned for the declaration or the designation or the inscription, I think, as the technical term of the Cairn Gorns on the world heritage register or whatever it is called. It has taken—that hasn't happened. I am very privileged to live in such a fine city as Edinburgh, although I am not in the world heritage site. I just want to touch on three areas that I think are germane to this Parliament and how it can tackle some of the issues facing the world heritage site, such as planning, housing and governance. First, on planning, I am sure that it will not be lost on Mr Lindhurst, that, of course, our planning system received something of a boost in the development of the new town when, in fact, the 37 acres was acquired by the common good fund, by the city council, back in the 18th century. It attempted to impose the very strict conditions that would lay down in the Craig plan on the developers of the new town by the law of contract, and developers were required to come into the town council and sign that they were going to follow this plan. The first developers, of course, many of whom were on Prince's street, but that was the most attractive street, proceeded with this, and they didn't de-degree with the plan. However, when they sold those buildings on, their law of contract was not binding on successors, and that led to the revitalisation of the feudal system. Those who want to read a little bit more about that, I mentioned it in this very fine book, but I should mention a more important book that talks about this in very great detail, by Richard Rogers, The Transformation of Edinburgh, which goes into that in some detail. I want to stay on planning for a moment. One of the unique features of the World Heritage Site in Edinburgh is that it is a lived environment. People live here, it is their home. Obviously, people come for holidays, they work, but it is their home. I know from constituents and quarries that there is an increasing concern about the number of properties, particularly in the old town, that are no longer used as primary residences. In fact, I know one constituent that I met last week who is the only resident in their tenement stair in the grass market. The rest of the flats are all used for parties, Airbnbs, holidaylets, etc. I think that we have an opportunity in the planning bill to introduce new use-class orders under residential permissions to ensure, for example, that the council has some democratic control over how property is used and can limit or expand, as it chooses, the kind of uses to which property is put, and that is not just primary residences, holiday residences, but also, for example, student accommodation, retired accommodation, etc. That would give far greater control on scrutiny over how the properties in places like the old town of Edinburgh are used. That links to the question on housing, and Gordon Lindhurst is right to raise the report that was done by the World Heritage Site, the survey recently showing the poor state of repair. I was in the city council recently talking about this with councillors, and one of them took me down a dark passage through a dark door into a very, very dark room. We eventually found the light, and in that room there was a whole bank of card drawers. We pulled them out, and in each drawer there were index cards of properties in Edinburgh, not just the new town, the old town and the whole of Edinburgh, and inspection records of those properties. They had taken place typically about two or three years by the council over the decades. I certainly think that, again, we have an opportunity to treat the housing that we have in the city that has been around for 200 years or so as part of our public infrastructure and not simply as private infrastructure. Finally, on governance, we have challenges here because much of the World Heritage Site, in fact, is owned in common. It is part of the common good. It was acquired by the common good fund and remains so, and we need to reform that law. Finally, there are questions about the business improvement district. I think that the governance of the St Andrews Square, for example, has got much to be questioned, and I would like to review how we award those bid contracts in future to ensure that the city centre, in particular in the World Heritage Site, remains a fine place to live and work. Alexander Stewart That is quite a right present. I answer to many things. May I first of all say how delighted I am to be able to participate this afternoon in this debate and pay a tribute to my colleague Gordon Lindhurst for securing the debate and bringing it to the national platform. However, I am disappointed that we do not have any liberal labour MSPs in the whole chamber today with us, because I would have thought that they would have liked to support that as well. The UNESCO's general criteria for the World Heritage Site states that it must be a natural or man-made site and area or structure recognised as being of outstanding international importance. Well, Edinburgh could not really do anything but fit that so well. It really is incredible. The two cities, the old and the new, ensure that Edinburgh's character is nothing less than looking at the neoclassical city and the 15th century city. They are completely different, but they complement each other so well that it ensures that we have buildings on architecture styles across the city that are recognised by individuals who live here and those who come to work and visit here. It is very encouraging to see that the research conducted by the Edinburgh World Heritage Site has shown that it has nearly got complete unanimous support for it to come forward. On the same thing, it is also quite interesting to see that many residents who are very supportive of it do not entirely understand or are not quite sure what the status means or indeed the benefits that will come. While the status does not confer any particular controls on developments within the city, it also gives the opportunity for conditions to be met. Unesco's Deputy Presiding Officer requires those who are most responsible to take part. The whole idea of a management plan that will summarise the importance of the site and the policies that come will protect and enhance all that is happening around about Edinburgh itself. There are four conservation areas that fall into the city—the old town, the new town, Dean Valley and the west end—and they cover the site. They will do all that they can to protect buildings, trees, parks, pavings and general character. That is about 75 per cent within that are listed buildings. It is crucial that we all know what we are trying to achieve here. As I say, I am delighted that there seems to be so much support across the area. New developments can always be controversial and it is important that we keep with ideas of how we are going to manage new developments that come into the city and ensure that the historic architecture for both the old town and the new town is met. The structure of Unesco's High gives us the idea that Edinburgh will put the city an exclusive right across the globe with many others of so much importance. The Great Barrier Reef, Yellowstone National Park and the Galapagos Islands are few that fall into the same category, and Edinburgh rightly should be there as well. It is absolutely clear that the status has received widespread public support, and that is very encouraging. Now, when we are drawing up a new management plan for the next five years, it is very important that we raise and do all that we can to ensure that the debate here today is kept and ensuring that we do all that we can to move it forward. In concluding, we must balance the development needs of the city to ensure that it fits for the 21st century. It is vitally important that the conservation and restoration within the city, the history, the heritage, the perceived perceptions and the protection for generations to come are looked after. I very much support my colleague in going forward today to ensure that that does become a reality. I thank Gordon Lindhurst for giving us the opportunity to debate this important issue this afternoon. It is important that we discuss the future of Edinburgh's world heritage site. Designation as a world heritage site is not given lightly. It is a designation that the city has had for a fairly short period in its long history, one that attracts many, many visitors and one that we must protect. I very much welcome the fact that the motion calls upon all those with influence over Edinburgh's current and future planning developments to fully recognise the importance of Edinburgh's world heritage. In February this year, UNESCO expressed deeply worrying concerns that the quality of new developments is affecting the city's world heritage status. I am really heartened to see Alexander Stewart here, because he represents Mid Scotland and Fife, but there is an appreciation that this is not just an issue that should concern politicians representing Edinburgh and Lothian. It is an issue that should concern each and every member of this Parliament. We have to take this seriously, because Edinburgh is for many visitors their first port of call if they are coming to Scotland. Indeed, it has so many attractions that many visitors never leave. It is essential that we must not damage the unique selling points that bring visitors here in the first place. My colleague Andy Wightman spoke about the competing pressures around that. It is such an attractive city that many people want to make the most of that. I, too, have had concerns raised by constituents who find themselves the only long-term resident in a stair. That is an issue that the Parliament should look at in the years ahead, because a lack of those who have a long-term interest in a neighbourhood affects that neighbourhood. For example, in the old town, when the community council had an increasingly—they felt very challenged by what happened over the Coltongate development with regard to planning, but also when there are a few long-term residents in a neighbourhood, there are less people to form that community council. There are less people who have day-to-day experience of what it is like to live in that area. It is really important that we do not forget who Edinburgh is for. We warmly welcome all those who want to come and visit us. There are huge benefits there, socially, culturally and economically, but let us make sure that this remains the fabulous compact city with its many wonders. At Edinburgh, Born and Bred, I never take those many wonders for granted. We will soon be celebrating Hogmanay, which has become a global focal point for many. Probably some of you here are possibly old enough to remember like me when we celebrated New Year at the Tron. It was a non-commercial event. You just got on the bus, came into town with your pals, and the high street was thronged. I realised that that has changed, but I would like us to think about the importance of retaining some of the intimacy and scale and to consider that bigger, bolder and sometimes brashier are not always better. Let us celebrate and enhance this historic built environment, but let us remember two of the challenges that Gordon Lindhurst mentioned in the fact that, last month, Edinburgh World Heritage surveyed 202 buildings in the city centre and found 72 per cent in need of some sort of repair. Most of those are privately owned historic tenements, but my colleague, Andy Wightman, was right to say that they are a public asset, too. We are custodians of this city. The traditional building forum recently, too, has put some work into this area—in fact, it has been doing it for quite a long time—and they have concluded that almost 70 per cent of pre-1919 buildings in Scotland are not wind and water type. Let us continue to focus on insulating our homes, but let us make sure that those traditional buildings are wind and water type. Miles Brigg raised this as an issue that is just as important as inappropriate development. When it comes to inappropriate development, I am going to finish. I realise that I am over time. We have to be really careful. We have a precious asset in this city. It is of cultural significance. One of the criteria for world heritage status is to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape, which illustrates a significant stage in human history. We have such an asset, but let us continue to work together to protect, enhance and maintain that. In closing today's debate, I thank Gordon Lintas for securing this motion and his very considered speech. I also thank all those who have contributed. The debate this afternoon has again demonstrated the importance that we all attach to our historic environment, not just for its own sake but for the economic, social, educational and cultural enrichment that it provides. Just as each of Scotland's six world heritage sites tells an important story about part of Scotland's past, it remains central to the lives of our communities today. Gordon Lintas' motion refers to only five world heritage sites. I am sure that it is an oversight and not a slight to the fourth bridge, which is our sixth world heritage site. From the 6,000-year-old monuments at the heart of Neilistic Orkney providing tourism and educational benefits to the fourth bridge, relatively youthful at only 126 years old, still fulfilling its original function as a key part of Scotland's transport infrastructure, each of our six world heritage sites is a treasure to be celebrated and cherished. Miles Briggs is right to express concern about world heritage sites in Syria. The human cost is a key priority, surely, but Daesh is not content with just killing people. They want to kill the soul of humanity as well, as we have seen with the destruction of heritage in Palmyra as well. That was discussed at the culture summit here in Edinburgh in August. Our focus today, of course, has been on the older new towns of Edinburgh. This city is a year-round destination and a festival city of breathtaking beauty, world-class attractions, quality shopping and fabulous food and drink. Like Ben Macpherson, I recall the moment as a 14-year-old that I fell in love with the city of Edinburgh. It is a little wonder that Edinburgh has been voted the top UK city by the Guardian travel awards for 13 consecutive years and best UK destination outside London by Tripadvisor Reviewers. Figures published recently by the Edinburgh tourism action group show that the world heritage status of the old and new town ranks among the top 10 reasons for visitors coming to the city. For the full benefits of that heritage to be realised, careful stewardship is required. Under the World Heritage Convention, the state party agrees to identify, protect, preserve, promote and transmit the outstanding universal value of its world heritage sites for the benefit of current and future generations. The Government looks to the management partners of each of our world heritage sites to achieve that and to implement best practice stemming from UNESCO guidance and recommendations. I was pleased to see strong public engagement in the recent research undertaken by the site management partners in Edinburgh to inform the drafting of that 2017-22 management plan. There will be formal public consultation on the draft management plan in spring 2017, and as Alexander Stewart did, I would encourage all those with an interest to embrace the opportunity to help to shape the future of the plan. Edinburgh is a vibrant, living, breathing city, and the world heritage site is home to some 23,000 residents, as Alison Johnstone stressed, and more than 100,000 people work within it. In Edinburgh, as any historic city, there is a balance to be struck between a number of priorities, including the needs of residents, businesses, visitors and economic development, as well as conservation of the site's outstanding universal value. As planning authority and lead management partner for the world heritage site, the council has particular responsibilities to ensure that the balance is appropriate both in the management of the site and the regulation of development within it. National planning framework 3 acknowledges that Edinburgh's world-renowned built heritage is a key asset. Scottish planning policy states that, where a development proposal has the potential to affect a world heritage site or its setting, the planning authority must protect and preserve its outstanding universal value. Scottish planning policy also requires that, where relevant, the policy is implemented at the local level. There are statutory controls in place to protect elements such as schedule monuments, listed buildings and conservation areas, and the local development plan for Edinburgh also sets out other strong policies, including a skyline policy. For the majority of planning applications that are submitted within the world heritage site, decisions are and are quite rightly made at local level. On the other hand, where there are genuine national issues at stake, the Scottish ministers have the statutory power to call in planning applications and listed building consents applications for determination at the national level. In May this year, a review of the Scottish planning system was published. The review was led by an independent panel and received written submissions and oral evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including Historic Environment Scotland and Built Environment Forum Scotland. Detailed proposals will shortly be published for consultation and Andy Wightman referred to this with a number of his suggestions about the character of Edinburgh in particular and that residential character. We want to ensure that Scotland has a world-class planning system that supports economic growth, delivery of quality development and community empowerment. The world heritage list represents the most significant, unique or best examples of the world's cultural and natural heritage. World heritage sites have an importance that transcends national boundaries. They belong to all the people of the world, irrespective of the country in which they are located. In the old and new towns of Edinburgh world heritage site, we have the core of a thriving city, committed management partners and a responsibility for ensuring that the site's outstanding universal value is understood, celebrated and preserved. It will always be the case that some development proposals will divide opinion, but our planning system includes a number of safeguards, which together ensure that major decisions are taken within a transparent and rigorous process with due regard for our heritage. It is important that people living and working in Edinburgh and the many visitors to the capital continue to enjoy the riches of the old and new towns of Edinburgh world heritage site in years to come. Many members have used the word custodianship, I use the word stewardship, but I think that collective responsibility not just for the city but nationally and, as I stressed, internationally is at the heart of this debate. I recommend the important work, particularly of the Edinburgh world heritage trust, and I would also look forward to celebrating Edinburgh's world heritage site in 2017 as we take part in Scotland's year of history, heritage and archaeology. The meeting is suspended until 2.30 p.m.