Celebrating urban community landownership at the Scottish Parliament
13 February 2024
On 6 February, close to 200 people gathered at the Scottish Parliament to celebrate the achievements of urban community landowners. This Parliamentary Reception, which was hosted by Kaukab Stewart MSP, highlighted the vital work done by community landowners in towns and cities across Scotland.
Culduthel Woods (Inverness), Inchinnan Development Trust (Renfrewshire), Bonnymuir Green (Aberdeen), Govanhill Baths (Glasgow), Bridgend Farmhouse (Edinburgh), Midsteeple Quarter (Dumfries), Huntly Development Trust (Aberdeenshire), North Edinburgh Arts (Edinburgh) and Beatroute Arts (Glasgow) exhibited their work, showing the success of urban community landowners in addressing the climate and biodiversity crises, bring new futures to historic buildings, make changes through arts-based community centres, and delivering community-led neighbourhood regeneration.
In her welcome, Kaukab Stewart MSP lauded two community landowners from her own constituency – The Pyramid at Anderston and Garnethill Multicultural Centre – for the innovative ways in which they serve their communities: “It is is unlikely that these spaces would be able to develop and flourish without community ownership.”
Our chair, Ailsa Raeburn, added “We have been supporting urban communities because we know that transformational change can come from community landownership. Communities are led by similar motivations across Scotland, such as to fix problems and to save things for future generations.”
Carey Doyle, ours Urban Hub Manager, gave early outcomes from our urban research: “Communities in towns and cities are very interested in landownership, and achieving great things. However, this is too hard, and that there are unequal outcomes. We need to do more to make the most of Scotland’s land in a fair and just society. That is what urban land reform needs to deliver. “
Will Golding, from Bridgend Farmhouse, shared the wide scope of their work in Edinburgh and noted “none of this would be possible without community landownership”.
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