DOCSLIB.ORG

Land Reform for a Sustainable Scotland a Briefing Paper for Msps August 2021 Introduction

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Land Reform for a Sustainable Scotland a Briefing Paper for Msps August 2021 Introduction Land Reform for a Sustainable Scotland A Briefing Paper for MSPs August 2021 Introduction The central policy challenge facing Scotland and consequently the Scottish Parliament is to chart a path through the Covid-19 pandemic’s aftermath and the climate emergency towards Introduction 2 a greener, wealthier, more inclusive and fairer Scotland. That necessitates a renewed focus Land Reform and the on land reform – defined as measures that modify or change the arrangements governing 1 Scottish Parliament 3 the possession and use of land in the public interest – as a crucial foundation stone from which to build towards that better future with its emphasis on the common good. Scotland’s Unusually Concentrated Pattern of Landownership 5 The purpose of this briefing paper from Community Land Scotland is to provide MSPs with an overview of legislative progress on land reform since devolution and to show Land Reform and a Just Transition to ‘Net Zero’ 9 why further legislation is required early in the current session of Parliament to help achieve a sustainable Scotland. Sustaining Scotland’s Places after Covid Recovery 13 The paper highlights the close relationship between land ownership and land use and the scope for Scotland’s unusually concentrated pattern of land ownership to act as a Land Reform in the Public Interest: structural barrier to the sustainable development of local communities. It draws on findings A Programme of Legislative Action 15 and recommendations from a range of recently published research reports to illustrate the importance of land reform in tackling both post-pandemic recovery and the climate emergency in a fair and socially just way. Community Land Scotland welcomes the prospect of a new Land Reform Act being introduced early in the current Parliamentary session. We are clear that the new legislation Cover images: should form part of a wider cross-cutting programme of progressive land reform in support Electric vehicle charge points on of a sustainable Scotland for the reasons discussed in this paper. West Harris (left) © Kristina Nitsolova and Midsteeple Quarter (right) © Becky Duncan / Open Aye 1. Land Reform Review Group (2014). The Land of Scotland and the Common Good. Page 16. 2 Land Reform and the Scottish Parliament Scotland’s ‘land question’ has a long history, much of which is linked to the Highland Clearances of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and their aftermath2. More recently land reform has established itself as a mainstream issue on Scotland’s public policy agenda. The establishment of the Scottish Parliament and cross-party support for reform has been pivotal to that mainstreaming process. In his 1998 McEwen Lecture on ‘Land Reform for the 21st Century’, the then Secretary of State for Scotland, Donald Dewar, stated: There is undoubtedly a powerful symbolism – which attracts me greatly – of land reform being amongst the first actions of our new Scottish Parliament3. The symbolism to which Donald Dewar referred has been matched by a practical programme of land reform legislation brought forward by successive Scottish Government administrations and commanding strong cross-party support in Parliament. It includes the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which introduced the Community and Crofting Community Rights to Buy during the first Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition Government. The Scottish Parliament has pursued land reform since its inception, attracting strong cross-party support. 2. The Highland Clearances involved the often forceable removal by unscrupulous landlords of their tenants to make way for more economically profitable sheep and deer farming on their rural estates during the By Apasciuto (www.flickr.com/photos eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Consequently, early land reform measures gave crofters security of /apasciuto) shared under CC BY 2.0 tenure in relation to their crofts via the Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886. 3. Dewar, D. (1998). ‘Land Reform for the 21st Century’. The 1998 McEwen Lecture, Caledonia Centre for Social Development. www.caledonia.org.uk/land/dewar.htm 3 Further land reform legislation was passed during the Parliament’s fourth session between 2011 and 2016 during the SNP’s second Government. The Community Empowerment [The Community (Scotland) Act 2015 introduced the Community Right to Buy Abandoned, Neglected or Empowerment Detrimental Land and asset transfer provisions to enable community bodies to request to “ take control of land and built assets from Scottish public authorities. (Scotland) Act 2015] broadened the scope Importantly, that legislation also broadened the scope of the Community Rights to Buy of the Community originally introduced in the 2003 Act to include urban as well as rural communities, underscoring the relevance of land reform to all of Scotland. The Land Reform (Scotland) Rights to Buy originally Act 2016 introduced a Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, a Community Right to introduced in the Buy to further Sustainable Development, and established the Scottish Land Commission to 2003 Act to include ensure that land reform retains its place on Scotland’s public policy agenda. urban as well as rural communities, underscoring the relevance of land reform to all of Scotland. Right: Govanhill Community Trust intends to reopen the historic Govanhill Baths building as a Wellbeing Centre, contributing to the regeneration of the area and meeting the needs and aspirations of the community. © Govanhill Baths Community Trust 4 Scotland’s Unusually Concentrated Pattern of Landownership 67% of Scotland’s “rural land has been Much of the policy impetus for contemporary land reform is linked to Scotland’s unusually calculated as being concentrated pattern of private rural land ownership, of which 67% has been calculated as being owned by 0.025% of the population4. Diversifying that concentrated pattern owned by 0.025% of of land ownership is now a well-established public policy objective in Scotland5. That the population. policy objective seeks to address the underlying structural power relationship between concentrated land ownership and land use that can act as a barrier to the sustainable development of local communities. The close relationship between concentrated land ownership and land use, together with its scope for generating negative effects for communities in circumstances of concentrated ownership, was highlighted by the Scottish Government-appointed Land Reform Review Group in its influential final report, ‘The Land of Scotland and the Common Good’, published in 2014. It stated: Ownership is the key determinant of how land is used, and the concentration of private ownership in rural Scotland can often stifle entrepreneurial ambition, local aspirations and the ability to address identified community need. The concentrated ownership of private land in rural communities places considerable power in the hands of relatively few individuals, which can in turn have a huge impact on the lives of local people and jars with the idea of Scotland being a modern democracy6. 4. Warren, C. (2009). Managing Scotland’s Environment. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 5. See, for example, the remit of the Land Reform and Review Group established by the Scottish Government in 2012 and Principle 2 of the Scottish Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement. [www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-land-rights-responsibilities-statement/pages/1/]. 6. Land Reform Review Group. (2014). The Land of Scotland and the Common Good. Page 165. 5 That impact was documented in the Scottish Land Commission’s 2019 report of its ‘Investigation into the Issues Associated with Large Scale and Concentrated Landownership in Scotland’7. It noted that approximately a quarter of those who submitted evidence to the Commission’s investigation felt that Scotland’s pattern of concentrated landownership has a negative impact on the ability to meet local housing needs. The report stated: these experiences were all connected by a common narrative in which the power of a dominant landowner to control the supply of housing was a key driver of depopulation and economic decline8. The Commission’s report also highlighted evidence of the negative effects that concentrated ownership can have on community and social cohesion, depending on how the power associated with concentrated ownership is wielded. It noted fear of repercussions for “going against the landowner” expressed by some respondents in their evidence, stating that: this fear was rooted firmly in the concentration of power in some communities and the perceived ability of landowners to inflict consequences such as eviction or blacklisting for employment/contracts on residents should they so wish9. The Scottish Land Commission’s accompanying report to Scottish Ministers made three recommendations for legislative action to address the negative impacts of concentrated landownership highlighted in submitted evidence. 7. The report followed a call for evidence by the Commission in 2018 for people to share their everyday experiences of living or working in parts of rural Scotland where most of the land is owned by a small Constructing new homes number of people. 407 people responded to the call, including landowners and land managers, community on the Isle of Eigg. representatives and individuals. © Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust 8. Glenn, S., MacKessack-Leitch, J., Pollard, K., Glass, J., and McMorran, R., (2019). Investigation into the Issues Associated with Large Scale and Concentrated Land Ownership in Scotland.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Our Strategic Plan
    Our Strategic Plan 2020 to 2023 Contents Foreword 03 Why land matters 04 Land, the economy and inequality 04 Land and human rights 05 Land and climate change 05 Land reform and the Scottish Land Commission 06 Who we are and what we do 06 Our strategy 07 What we will deliver 08 How we will deliver this strategic plan 11 Programme of work 12 Creating the organisation we want to be 13 Financial strategy 14 Measuring success 15 Annex 1 – Programme of work 16 Loch an Eilein, Cairngorms National Park Strategic Plan 2020-23 02 FOREWORD Scotland’s shared national focus This decade must also see significant shifts to over the coming three years will meet Scotland’s ambitious climate targets for 2030, to be on track for a net zero economy by be recovery and renewal following 2045. Changing the way we use land is key to Covid-19, and this strategic plan meeting these targets. As part of a just transition, responds to that challenge. we must meet the pace and scale of change needed and make these changes in ways that This plan sets out how we will support a fair are fair and create economic opportunities. and green recovery to a ‘wellbeing economy’ (see below), helping to create a Scotland which: At the same time, Scotland will be dealing with the implications of the UK’s exit from Glasgow Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village © Tom Manley • Promotes inclusive economic growth the European Union, including changes in environmental governance frameworks, trade, • Reduces inequality and looking beyond the Common Agricultural • Supports climate action and a just transition Policy – all of which may have significant effects for land use and land markets.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights and the Work of the Scottish Land Commission
    Human Rights and the Work of the Scottish Land Commission A discussion paper Dr Kirsteen Shields May 2018 LAND LINES A series of independent discussion papers on land reform issues Background to the ‘Land Lines’ discussion papers The Scottish Land Commission has commissioned a series of independent discussion papers on key land reform issues. These papers are intended to stimulate public debate and to inform the Commission’s longer term research priorities. The Commission is looking at human rights as it is inherent in Scotland’s framework for land reform and underpins our Strategic Plan and Programme of Work. This, the fifth paper in the Land Lines series, is looking at the opportunities provided by land reform for further realisation of economic, social and cultural human rights. The opinions expressed, and any errors, in the papers are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Commission. About the Author Dr Kirsteen Shields is a Lecturer in International Law at the University of Edinburgh’s Global Academy on Agriculture and Food Security and was recently a Fullbright / Royal Society of Edinburgh Scholar at the University of Berkeley, California. She has advised the Scottish Parliament on land reform and human rights and was the first Academic Fellow to the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (SPICe) in 2016. LAND LINES A series of independent discussion papers on land reform issues Summary Keywords Community; property rights; land; human rights; economic; social; cultural Background This report provides a primer on key human rights developments and obligations relevant to land reform. It explains the evolution in approach to human rights that is embodied in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 and it applies that approach to aspects of the Scottish Land Commission’s four strategic priorities.
    [Show full text]
  • Scottish Land Commission – Reappointment of Commissioners Published in Scotland by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
    Published 11 February 2021 SP Paper 936 3rd Report, 2021 (Session 5) Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee Comataidh Atharrachadh Clìomaid is Ath-leasachaidh Fearann Scottish Land Commission – Reappointment of Commissioners Published in Scotland by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. All documents are available on the Scottish For information on the Scottish Parliament contact Parliament website at: Public Information on: http://www.parliament.scot/abouttheparliament/ Telephone: 0131 348 5000 91279.aspx Textphone: 0800 092 7100 Email: [email protected] © Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliament Corporate Body The Scottish Parliament's copyright policy can be found on the website — www.parliament.scot Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee Scottish Land Commission – Reappointment of Commissioners, 3rd Report, 2021 (Session 5) Contents Introduction ____________________________________________________________1 Background ____________________________________________________________2 Membership, appointments and reappointments _____________________________3 ECCLR Committee’s previous consideration of appointments to the Scottish Land Commission _______________________________________________________4 Process of reappointment ________________________________________________5 Conclusion_____________________________________________________________6 Annexe ________________________________________________________________7 Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee Scottish Land Commission
    [Show full text]
  • Scottish Land Commission 3Rd May 2019
    ‘’’’’’’’’’ Submission to Infrastructure Commission for Scotland Scottish Land Commission 3rd May 2019 Scottish Land Commission 1 Submission to Infrastructure Commission for Scotland Call for Evidence May 2019 For further information on this response contact: David Stewart Scottish Land Commission, Longman House, Longman Road, Inverness, IV1 1SF Tel: 01463 423317 Email [email protected] Scottish Land Commission 2 1 Executive Summary This response sets out ways that better land use, and better engagement with communities on land use, can help to prioritise infrastructure investments and deliver better places. The response also calls for a broader definition of infrastructure that includes land remediation, green infrastructure and support for active travel. In responding to the consultation, we highlight how Public Interest Led Development (PILD) can be a catalyst for change, delivering more value and better places while supporting investment in infrastructure. The response also highlights how PILD and Land Value Capture can help deliver attractive places and support investment in social infrastructure, making places more attractive to live, helping make them economically competitive and supporting inclusive growth. Our response also shares work by the Scottish Land Commission on Vacant and Derelict Land. A process has been developed to prioritise vacant sites for investment – this could be useful in helping to prioritise infrastructure investment both short term and over a longer period. Finally, we highlight approaches developed by the Scottish Land Commission to engage communities in decisions on land use – our Land Rights & Responsibilities statement and our Community Engagement Protocol – which could be adapted to engage communities in discussions and decisions on infrastructure investment.
    [Show full text]
  • Spice Briefing Land Reform in Scotland 03 June 2015 15/28 Alasdair Reid
    The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Parliament Infor mation C entre l ogos. SPICe Briefing Land Reform in Scotland 03 June 2015 15/28 Alasdair Reid Clockwise from top: Isle of Gigha (Scottish Government 2012a); Integrated Landscape Buccleuch Estates (Scottish Land and Estates 2014a); Lambhill Stables and Forth and Clyde Canal, Glasgow (Lambhill Stables 2015). CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................................. 3 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................................................... 4 SCOTLAND’S LAND ................................................................................................................................................ 4 WHAT IS LAND REFORM? ......................................................................................................................................... 5 LAND REFORM BEFORE SCOTTISH DEVOLUTION ............................................................................................... 6 LAND REFORM SINCE DEVOLUTION ...................................................................................................................... 8 LAND REFORM POLICY GROUP ........................................................................................................................... 8 LEGISLATION SINCE DEVOLUTION ....................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Celtic Lands and Identities: Global and Local Implications”
    “Celtic lands and identities: Global and Local Implications” The 2018 John F. Roatch Global Lecture on Social Policy and Practice, Arizona State University, College of Public Service and Community Solutions Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 23 March, 2018 Professor Frank Rennie The concept of “Think global, act local” is frequently attributed to the work of Patrick Geddes, a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He was an early champion of working with the environment, rather than working against it. The concept has since been applied to a very wide range of societal issues, but for today, I would just like to focus on its implications for local and national identity, in the recognition of a sense of place, and in determining a sense of responsibility for that place. I would then like to look at the social implications of that heightened sense of local and national identity. There is a particular word in the Gaelic language of my homeland for which is difficult to give a direct translation into English. “Buntanas” expresses sense of belonging, now simply in the present, but the concept of a person or community of people belonging to a certain area of land, a communal sense of embeddedness, and rootedness through family lineage and history of a community who belong to a certain place. This is contradistinction to the more usual Western concept of the land belonging to an individual person, of people owning the land in its entirety. In the poetry of the late Norman MacCaig, he asks… Who possesses this landscape? – The man who bought it or I who am possessed by it? I want to return to this theme in a few minutes, for I think that our relationships with the land is at the heart of the Celtic relationship with land and place.
    [Show full text]
  • Nature Networks Event Report
    Nature Networks Film Screening and Panel Discussion – Online Event Thursday 3 December 2020 Purpose of the event This event was used to launch LINK’s Nature Networks Matter film to an audience of parliament, government and NGO representatives. The film screening was followed by reflections and discussion with a panel of four speakers. LINK’s aim is to explain what we mean by a Nature Network, increase understanding of the value, and encourage willingness to implement the approach in efforts to tackle both the nature and climate emergencies. Event format 13.30 – 13.35 Welcome and introduction from Dr Deborah Long (Scottish Environment LINK) 13.35 – 13.40 Nature Networks film screened 13.40 – 14.00 Panel discussion with Alistair Whyte (Plantlife Scotland), Dr Alessandro Gimona (James Hutton Institute), Emma Cooper (Scottish Land Commission) and Claudia Beamish MSP (Member for South Scotland) 14.00– 14.25 Q&A with audience 14.25 – 14.30 Closing remarks from Dr Deborah Long Welcome and introduction Deborah Long, Scottish Environment LINK’s Chief Officer, welcomed everyone to the event. She explained that LINK is a 40 strong network of member organisations. These members are all eNGOs working in Scotland towards the joint aim of building a sustainable Scotland where Scotland’s nature, land and seascapes are healthy and resilient, supporting thriving communities and flourishing people. Deborah highlighted that we are all too aware we are in the midst of world changing events. We are suffering a global pandemic, and human disease on a scale not seen since the Spanish flu of 1918. On top of that, we are in a climate emergency with global temperatures rising at unprecedented rates.
    [Show full text]
  • Strategy Report and Recommendations from the 1 Million Acre Short Life Working Group
    One Million Acres by 2020 Strategy report and recommendations from the 1 Million Acre Short Life Working Group December 2015 1 Contents 1. Why 1 million acres? What’s the case for action? ......................................................... 3 1.1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 SLWG – remit & structure ............................................................................................... 5 1.3 Evidence – benefits of CLO ............................................................................................ 8 1.3.1 Benefits that are specific to community ownership and may not be realised through other forms of community management ......................................... 8 1.3.2 Benefits of community ownership for communities as landowners ....... 9 1.3.3 Benefits for the broader community ................................................................ 11 1.3.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 14 1.4 Definition – What do we mean by community land ownership? .................... 15 1.5 How much land is currently in community ownership? .................................... 16 2. Vision & Principles .................................................................................................................. 19 3. Policy Context .........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report and Accounts 2018 to 2019
    Annual Report and Accounts 2018 to 2019 LAND RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES PROTOCOL SERIES PROTOCOL SERIES Community Engagement in Decisions Relating to Land Annual Report 2018-2019 Laid before the Scottish Parliament in pursuance of Section 20 Schedule 2, paragraph C of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016. To the Right Honourable Nicola Sturgeon Her Majesty’s First Minister Dear First Minister We have the honour to present the second Annual Report and Accounts of the Scottish Land Commission covering the year 2018-2019. Yours sincerely Andrew Thin, Chair Hamish Trench, Chief Executive Contents PERFORMANCE REPORT 02 A review of the work of the Scottish Land Commission in 2018-19, including an analysis of our delivery and performance, and our position at the end of the year. Overview 02 Foreword 02 Who we are 03 What we do 04 How we do it 06 Performance analysis 08 Financial Performance 08 What we have achieved 09 Tenant Farming Commissioner 12 Our Organisation 14 ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT 17 This report contains key statements and reports that enables the Scottish Land Commission to meet accountability requirements and demonstrate compliance with good corporate governance. Corporate Governance Report 18 Directors’ Report 18 Statement of Accountable Officer’s Responsibilities 20 Governance Statement 21 Remuneration and Staff Report 28 Parliamentary Accountability Report 35 Independent Auditor’s Report 36 Financial Statements 39 Accounts Direction 51 Annual Report 2018-2019 01 PERFORMANCE REPORT Foreword From the Chief Executive and Chair of the Scottish Land Commission Land is at the heart of Over 2018-19 we have delivered against our four strategic priorities: Scotland’s identity, economy and communities.
    [Show full text]
  • ECCLR/S5/20/24/A ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE and LAND REFORM COMMITTEE AGENDA 24Th Meeting, 2020 (Session 5) Tuesday 22 Septembe
    ECCLR/S5/20/24/A ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND LAND REFORM COMMITTEE AGENDA 24th Meeting, 2020 (Session 5) Tuesday 22 September 2020 The Committee will meet at 9.00 am in a virtual meeting and be broadcast on www.scottishparliament.tv. 1. Green recovery inquiry: The Committee will take evidence from— Hamish Trench, Chief Executive, Scottish Land Commission; Joel Evans, Team Leader, Sustainability and Climate Change (Acting), Aberdeenshire Council; Professor Colin Campbell, SEFARI Directors Executive Committee; and then from— Iain Gulland, Chief Executive Officer, Zero Waste Scotland; Kit England, Lead, Climate Ready Clyde (on behalf of Glasgow City Region); and then from— Liam Fowley MSYP, Trustee, Scottish Youth Parliament; Jess Pepper, on behalf of Climate Café; Fabio Villani, Leadership Team, tsiMORAY; and then from— Peter Mather, Group Regional President, Europe Head of Country, UK, BP; Arne Gürtner, Senior Vice President, Equinor UK and Ireland Offshore. ECCLR/S5/20/24/A 2. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on the Marine Licensing (Exempted Activities) (Scottish Inshore Region) Amendment Order 2020 [draft] from— Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment; Joyce Carr, Head of Water Environment, Jane Rougvie, Head of Aquaculture, and Marie Penman, Lawyer, Scottish Government. 3. Subordinate legislation: Mairi Gougeon, Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment to move—S5M-22577—That the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee recommends that the Marine Licensing (Exempted Activities) (Scottish Inshore Region) Amendment Order 2020 [draft] be approved. 4. Green recovery inquiry (in private): The Committee will consider the evidence heard earlier in the meeting. Lynn Tullis Clerk to the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee Room T3.40 The Scottish Parliament Edinburgh Tel: 0131 348 5240 Email: [email protected].
    [Show full text]
  • Ownership Review of International Experience of Community
    Review of International Experience of Community, Communal and Municipal Ownership of Land A report to the Scottish Land Commission April 2020 Review of International Experience of Community, Communal and Municipal Ownership of Land Authors: Rob Mc Morran, Jayne Glass, Jane Atterton, Sarah Jones, Eugenio Perez Certucha (Rural Policy Centre, Scotland’s Rural College); Annie McKee (James Hutton Institute); Malcolm Combe (University of Aberdeen); Ting Xu (University of Sheffield) Acknowledgements: The research team would like to thank the following individuals for their input to this work: Arnaud Sergent, IRSTEA, France Carla Barlagne, The James Hutton Institute, Scotland Catriona Knapman (linked with the International Institute for Environment and Development, London) Erling Berge, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway Felix Silomon-Pflug, Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany Frode Flemsæter, Ruralis, Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway Habacuc Pérez Cosme, Secretary of the Vigilance Committee (UZACHI Secretario del Consejo de Vigilancia), Mexico Jan Åge Riseth, Norut Northern Research Institute, Narvik, Norway Jim Oldham, Equity Trust, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA John Emmeus Davis, Burlington Associates, Burlington, Vermont, USA Juanita Pienaar, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Katrina Rønningen, Ruralis, Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway Matthew Hoffman, University of Southern Maine, Portland Campus, USA Philippe Deuffic, IRSTEA, France Rosie McBride, National Community Land Trust Network, England Sæbjørn Forberg, Sekretær NALF, Norsk Almenningsforbund, Norway Sören Becker, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany Svein Frisvoll, Ruralis, Institute for Rural and Regional Research, Norway Thomas Moore, University of Liverpool, England This report should be cited as: Mc Morran, R., Glass, J., McKee, A., Atterton, J., Combe, M., Xu, T., Jones, S.
    [Show full text]
  • The Impact of Concentrated Land Ownership
    Investigation into the Issues Associated with Large scale and Concentrated Landownership in Scotland th 20 March 2019 Investigation into the Issues Associated with Large scale & Concentrated Landownership in Scotland Authors: Shona Glenn (Scottish Land Commission) James MacKessack-Leitch (Scottish Land Commission) Katherine Pollard (Scottish Land Commission) Jayne Glass (Scotland’s Rural College) Rob Mc Morran (Scotland’s Rural College) Acknowledgements: In spring 2018 the Scottish Land Commission issued a call for evidence in which anyone with experience of living and/or working in parts of Scotland where most of the land is owned by a small number of people was invited to share their experience of the issues associated with this pattern of ownership. More than 400 people responded to the call for evidence and this report is based on the information they provided. The Land Commission is very grateful to everyone who responded without whom this report would not have been possible. This report should be cited as: Glenn, S., MacKessack-Leitch, J., Pollard, K., Glass, J., and McMorran, R., (2019), Investigation into the Issues Associated with Large scale and Concentrated Landownership in Scotland, Scottish Land Commission. For further information on this project contact: Shona Glenn Scottish Land Commission, Longman House, Longman Road, Inverness, IV1 1SF Tel: 01463 423 312 Executive Summary Concern about who owns Scotland, and how much of it they own, has been central to the land reform debate for decades. While many people are utterly convinced that landownership is a key determinant of rural development outcomes, others insist it is irrelevant, and what is important is how land is managed.
    [Show full text]