Scottish Government Land Reform Consultation - Final Day For Submissions

In November 2014 the Scottish Government set up a consultation to look into Land reform. The Scottish Government site says:

"On the 26 November 2014, the First Minister, as part of the Programme for Government, set out the Scottish Government's vision that Scotland's land must be an asset that benefits the many, not the few.

This vision promotes a strong relationship between the people of Scotland and the land of Scotland, where ownership and use of land delivers greater public benefits through a democratically accountable and transparent system of land rights that promotes fairness and social justice, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.

Land reform aims to ensure the correct balance of land rights to achieve this vision. This can only be achieved through a package of measures, taken forward and understood together.

The current Consultation on the future of Land Reform in Scotland seeks views on a range of measures intended to further land reform in Scotland. Through this consultation, the Scottish Government is seeking your views on a proposed Land Rights and Responsibilities Policy to help guide the development of public policy on the nature and character of land rights in Scotland and on a range of proposals for a Land Reform Bill."

The consultation runs from 2 Dec 2014 to 10 Feb 2015 which means today is that last day for you to make any submissions.

The government site further states: 

This consultation seeks views on a range of measures to further land reform in Scotland. We welcome your views on a proposed Land Rights and Responsibilities Policy, that will help guide public policy on the nature and character of land rights, and on a range of potential provisions for a Land Reform Bill that are designed to:
A) DEMONSTRATE A LONG TERM COMMITMENT TO LAND REFORM

• by setting up a Scottish Land Reform Commission to underpin land reform by providing the evidence base for further land reform measures and assessing the impact of existing policies.

B) IMPROVE THE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY OF LAND OWNERSHIP

• by making public sector information on land, its value and ownership readily available to support open and transparent decision making by both the private and public sectors; and
• limiting the legal entities that can, in future, take ownership of land in Scotland.

C) ADDRESS BARRIERS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND BEGIN TO DIVERSIFY PATTERNS OF LAND OWNERSHIP

• by providing powers for Scottish Ministers, or other public bodies, to intervene in situations where the scale or pattern of land ownership in an area, and the conduct of a landowner, is acting as a barrier to sustainable development.

D) DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TO EFFECTIVELY MANAGE LAND AND RIGHTS IN LAND FOR THE COMMON GOOD

• by facilitating proactive management of public sector land in the wider public interest by extending the powers of Forestry Commissioners;
• placing a duty of community engagement on charitable trustees, when making decisions on  land under the trustees control; and
•  to end the business (non-domestic) rates exemption for shooting and deerstalking and bring these businesses back into line with other ratepayers who help fund local services.

E) ADDRESS SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF LAND OWNERSHIPS AND RIGHTS

• by further modernisation of Common Good to promote greater flexibility on use and remove the need for references to the Courts;
• to improve deer management legislation;
• to take forward legislative changes required in light of the upcoming recommendations of the Agricultural Holdings Review on the future of tenant farming; and
• on public access, to make clarifications to the core paths planning process as set out in Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

I would urge you all to consider sending a submission as this is probably one of the most important decisions about the land that we live on that has taken place in hundreds of years. If you would like some more information before submitting click here for some in depth information.

To assist you in submitting, the Common Weal have produced a fully editable template for you to be able to submit. It only took me 10 minutes using "Find and Replace" to turn it into a personal document. Please consider this very seriously and don't miss the opportunity to have your say, as this could have long reaching consequences for your children and your children's children and lead to a far fairer community rights for all of us who live here.

Click Here For Common Weal Submission