Priorities set out for urban and rural land

Land ownership, land use decisionmaking, agricultural holdings, and land for housing and development, are the four key strands of the Scottish Land Commission’s (SLC) first strategic plan.

The Inverness-based government agency, set up in the wake of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, yesterday published a three-year plan setting out its priorities for both urban and rural land.

Commission chairman Andrew Thin said: “We want to change and shape best practice for the ownership, management and use of Scotland’s land, working with all sectors to achieve changes on the ground as well as recommending changes to legislation and policy where necessary.”

Included in the strategic plan is an ambition to increase the amount of tenanted land available, plans to improve the quality and accountability of land use decision making, and a review of the effectiveness of community right to buy mechanisms.

Land reform secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the strategic plan together with the Government’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement, also published yesterday, would set the pace and direction for land reform over the years to come.

NFU Scotland has given a broad welcome to the publication of the Scottish Land Commission’s first strategic plan and the accompanying Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement (LRRS).

The union’s legal and technical policy manager, Gemma Cooper said there was concern over some of the language used in the plan but NFUS would ensure that farming interests were at the forefront of discussions.

“It is pleasing to see agricultural holdings as one of the core areas of work, particularly as it is in the context of addressing tenure barriers, issues of farm investment and productivity, and availability of land,” she said.

“NFUS will continue to allocate significant time and resources to working with Scottish Government and SLC on this.”

Andrew Thin wants to shape best practice for use of land.