PUBLIC bodies must adopt a "town centre first" approach to put homes, leisure and public facilities at the heart of rejuvenating our high streets, experts say.

Shopping areas must broaden their appeal and bring people back in to live there in order to breathe life into areas which have been decimated by out-of-town malls, according to the National Review of Town Centres.

Malcolm Fraser, the architect who chaired the group, said it has come up with a "range of measures to bring investment and footfall into our communities".

It suggests councils help local high streets before thinking about developments elsewhere. Housing organisations could turn boarded up shops into affordable homes, while a focus group could be set up to look at business rate incentives, according to the report.

Public bodies should also consider the impact on high streets of any proposals to move services out of town centres.

Mr Fraser said: "Town centres offer a rich mix of live, work and play and we want to enhance that bustle and diversity – more people living there, encouragement for communities, businesses and local authorities and supportive planning and digital initiatives.

"There's wide agreement on the need for action and optimism that the changes proposed can help foster a renewed sense of community and enterprise."

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "By diversifying our high streets we will make them even better places to live, work and socialise."

The Scottish Government is devising an action plan, due out in the autumn, to take forward the recommendations of the group.

Ms Sturgeon, who also the Minister for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, said the Government was "determined to ensure town centres are vibrant places where locals and visitors want to spend time and money".

She added: "The work of this independent review will play a crucial role in the regeneration of high streets across Scotland.

"Town centres are the lifeblood of our communities, functioning as places of social interaction and enterprise. By diversifying our high streets we will make them even better places to live, work and socialise."

Andy Willox, the Federation of Small Businesses' Scottish policy convener, said the report made "useful contributions to the debate about the future of the Scottish high street".

He added: "We need our town centres to have more firms in more sectors, alongside public sector employers and residents. But this means they must become an attractive, cost-effective location to do business.

"When we see other parts of Government taking decisions which threaten town centre viability, such as the decision to close local courts, it remains to be seen how this report will make public bodies consider the wider economic impact of their decisions."