Community Land Scotland statement on the Land Reform Bill 2023

Community Land Scotland has concerns that, as it stands, the legislation will fail to deliver any of the proposed outcomes for the Bill. It will see urban areas being excluded from the many land reform advances already made and undermine the intentions of the Parliament under the 2015 Community Empowerment Act that all Scotland’s communities should enjoy the same land rights. Furthermore, without adjustments to the current Communities Right to Buy, the current market and monopoly impacts (outlined clearly by the recent Scottish Land Commission report) will continue to prevent communities (and other smaller owners/ farmers/ crofters) from buying land and assets.