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This is my last question. We have received conflicting evidence on the balance that is struck in NPF4 between protecting areas with carbon-rich soils and the development of renewable energy infrastructure. How do we get the balance right?

Thanks very much.

Certainly, I accept some of what you have said, but some of the sites are flagged as short-term or medium-term development, which means that people think that they are viable. You mentioned the housing emergency that we face. Would it be more helpful, rather than continuing to build on good arable land in Scotland, to try to bring back into use the 90,000 empty homes that we have in Scotland?

Tony Cain, what is your experience of local place plans?

I am looking for a bit of clarification. I can understand that there are problems with individual sites, and that that creates problems for developers. However, am I right in saying that, in the year to March 2023, there were more than 24,000 homes built in Scotland, across all tenures, which is double the rate per head of population of Wales and a third higher than what is happening south of the border in terms of completions, and that there was the highest number of affordable homes built in Scotland since 2000?

Communities’ concerns about second homes—of which there are about 24,000 in Scotland—and how to tackle them will be reflected in local place plans. Do you have any experience of local place plans being developed in your community? What impact have they had on planning decisions in your area?

Good morning, panel. I have a number of questions I want to ask.

First I want to start with local place plans. Certainly, in my constituency, a number of the communities, including Balerno, have worked on local place plans. Has NPF4 helped the development of local place plans? Is the creation of local place plans quite widespread? Are there any examples of them having an impact on planning decisions?

Certainly, what you have said in general terms is right, but we are sitting on 460 sites that were previously used for residential housing. Some of them have lain empty for 10 years. There has to be a mechanism to unlock those residential sites. What we are doing in Lothian—I can talk only about Lothian—is building on good arable land in a country that cannae feed its population, as is the case in the United Kingdom.

Before I ask my question, I would like to continue the conversation. Kevin, I am keen to understand how much the naturalisation in NPF4 is holding back reusing brownfield land. The register of derelict and vacant land shows that much of it has previously been used for housing, hotels or hostel accommodation, education facilities, recreation, retail or for office space. Much of that—there are over 3,000 sites in Scotland—could easily be used for housing. What is stopping brownfield land being used? I know that some of the land will be contaminated from industrial use, but a large proportion was used for other purposes. Does NPF4 help or hinder moving forward?

Tony Cain, I want to ask you about the number of council voids. You spoke about the housing emergency. A recent newspaper article said there are more than 10,000 voids in Scotland. Is that correct?