Community Land Scotland Calls For Radical Land Reform Actions (2015)

Community Land Scotland response to the Scottish Government Consultation on Land Reform calls for changes which will create more opportunities for more people across Scotland. If implemented in full, the proposals will allow more varied development take place across areas of the country where little has happened for decades.

We believe that by taking the following measures even within areas which contribute little at the moment to the prosperity of the land, then people and place will be reinvigorated and communities will play their part in a fairer, more just and sustainable Scotland.

We propose:

• That a Land Reform Commission is established
• That there is Ministerial intervention powers, including when a monopoly in land ownership
• in any area could be disadvantageous to the community
• That there should be greater limits on who can own land in Scotland with more transparency on ownership beneficiaries
• That there should be greater transparency in ownership itself
• That there should be an end to the exemption for sporting estates paying rates

To allow the status quo to remain is impossible to contemplate.