UK-wide concerns over behaviour and lack of community engagement of new corporate mega-laird
15 April 2026
A strident mega-laird – Oxygen Conservation (OC) – which aims to be the biggest private landowner in Scotland, has alienated and antagonised communities in different parts of the UK. The company has recently claimed £3.3 million in public money for tree planting on their Perthshire estate, despite concerns that its behaviour on the landholding falls well short of the expectations in Scottish Government’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement.
Describing itself as ‘unashamedly capitalist’, Oxygen Conservation has 12 estates across Scotland, England and Wales. They aim to make significant profits from large scale forestry, peatland restoration, and windfarms, with a stated focus on the fledgling carbon credit market, with claims to be setting a ‘new standard’ in the market and meeting UN sustainable development goals. The allegations raised by local people about OC’s behaviour throws these claims into doubt.
Exeter-based OC claim that engaging huge private capital investment is the way to realistically fund the move to Net Zero and they insist that they consult widely with local interests and have a webpage of FAQS dedicated to feedback. But critics complain about a lack of openness, misleading information, and that OC refuses to engage properly with estate residents, neighbours and local communities.
Communities have decided to speak out about their experiences with OC, despite widespread nervousness about criticising a powerful landowner with control over housing, jobs and the resources to pressure critics.
These concerns have also been reported by Katherine Hay in The Scotsman. You can read the full article here.