Scottish government pledges end to ‘stop start’ land reform
Scottish landowners will have to accept “the public responsibilities that come with that ownership” following the introduction of new land reform legislation.
Land reform minister Aileen McLeod (pictured) pledged to end “the stop start nature of historic land reform” as she published new draft legislation to tackle the issue.
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill contains “radical reforms to promote sustainability, fairness and transparency”, according to the Scottish government, which claimed power on a manifesto backing “a review of Scotland’s land reform legislation”.
The bill is designed to ensure the issues of fairness, equality and social justice connected to the ownership of, access to and use of land in Scotland are given a permanent footing with the creation of a Scottish Land Commission.
The Scottish government will be required to issue guidance to landowners on rights and responsibilities as well as responsible community engagement.
The bill would also give communities, both in urban and rural Scotland, a right to buy land to further sustainable development.
Other provisions of the bill include: