Land Reform Review Group
23 May 2014 03:41 PM
Making the most of our
land.
The Land Reform
Review Group have published their final report that aims to improve
Scotland’s relationship with our land.
The independent
Group was announced by the First Minister in 2012 and tasked with looking at
Land Reform in Scotland with the remit to;
• Enable more
people in rural and urban Scotland to have a stake in the ownership,
governance, management and use of land, which will lead to a greater diversity
of land ownership, and ownership types, in Scotland
• Assist with
the acquisition and management of land (and also land assets) by communities,
to make stronger, more resilient, and independent communities which have an
even greater stake in their development
• Generate,
support, promote, and deliver new relationships between land, people, economy
and environment in Scotland
The wide ranging
260 page report also contains 62 recommendations with a focus on the public
interest and making the most of land use in Scotland.
After receiving
the report the Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse
said:
“I would
like to thank Dr Elliot and the Land Reform Review Group for their thorough
report and their important contribution to the debate on land reform in
Scotland. The relationship between the land and the people of Scotland is
fundamental to the wellbeing, economic success, environmental sustainability
and social justice within Scotland.
“This report
contains 62 recommendations covering a wide range of areas that aim to improve
our relationship with land. We will study the report in depth and consider its
recommendations. I am sure it will contain recommendations we agree with and
some we do not but I welcome the overall vision and proposed direction of
travel.
“I am
pleased to read the recommendations on improving the availability of land, both
rural and urban, and the need to increase access to rural housing, these are
issues that will have a direct impact on many people’s lives. The Group
have also highlighted the need to address transparency of land ownership in
Scotland which I believe is crucial to taking forward this agenda.
“I also
welcome that the benefits of community ownership have been highlighted within
the report. We have always said that community ownership empowers communities,
sparks regeneration and drives renewal which is why we have an ambitious target
to get one million acres of land into community ownership by 2020.
“I am
pleased to announce that I agree with the Review Group’s recommendation
for a working group to develop the strategy for achieving the million acre
target and I will shortly be forming a working group to achieve just
that.
“Land Reform
not just about land ownership but how that land is used and managed and the
benefits it can bring to the people of Scotland. I look forward to considering
how the recommendations in this report can further benefit the people in
Scotland through the relationship with our land.”
Notes To
Editors
The Report can be
accessed via the Scottish Government website by selecting this
link.
The First Minister
announced the million acre target in June 2013 -http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2013/06/landreform07062013
span>
The Land Reform
Review was launched in July 2012 -http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2012/07/Land-Reform24072012<
/span>
The Land Reform
Review Group interim report was published in May 2013 -http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Review/land-reform/events/InterimReport<
/a>
The Scottish
Government recently completed a review on business rates. This Government is
committed to maintaining the most competitive business tax environment anywhere
in the UK through our business rates policies and we can confirm there are no
plans to make changes to the position of agricultural business rates
relief.