Land reform

Answer:
Half of Scotland is owned by just 500 people, few of whom are actually Scots. As Britain's great land-owning aristocratic families decline, a new breed of foreign laird is exploiting Scotland's arcane land laws to buy up tracts of the Highlands and islands - Europe's last great wilderness.  In 2018/2019 it was reported that the largest landowner owns 221,000 acres (890 km2; 345 sq mi) of land in Scotland. The government believes 57% of rural land is in private hands, about 12.5% owned by public bodies, 3% under community ownership and about 2.5% is owned by charities etc.

Full answer here: Land ownership in Scotland



Scotland needs a radical grassroots movement for land justice again

Author / Creator: Heather Urquhart

Media type: Article

Date published:

A look at global struggles, or even our own history, offers a reminder that land justice has never been gifted, it’s been fought for.


The Land of Scotland and the Common Good - The Land Reform Review Group 10 Years Later

Author / Creator: Andy Wightman

Media type: Article

Date published:

Ten years ago today, the Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) published its Final Report.


Own Yersel Scotland: Reimagining the future – Keynote Address by Michael Russell

Author / Creator: Michael Russell

Media type: Article

Date published:

Reflections on land reform and a vision for the future


Scotland’s land reform journey is stalling

Author / Creator: Josh Doble

Media type: Opinion

Date published: 2023

Community ownership of land has flatlined since 2016/2017


Land Reform for a Democratic, Sustainable and Just Scotland

Author / Creator: Laurie Macfarlane

Media type: Book

Date published: 2023

The ownership, governance and use of land in Scotland remains stuck in the past.


Land Reform for a Democratic, Sustainable and Just Scotland

Author / Creator: Laurie Macfarlane

Media type: Report

Date published: 2023

Ahead of the Land Reform Bill, this report sets out a bold agenda for land reform.


Understanding Urban Community Landownership

Author / Creator: Carey Doyle

Date published: 2024

Scotland has a long history of community landownership.  We are celebrating 100 years since the first buyout


Scotland’s land reform journey is stalling

Author / Creator: Josh Doble

Media type: Article

Date published: 2023

Scotland’s experience of land reform is often described as a journey, if that is the case then our journey is stalling and all but ground to a halt.


Land Reform Or Another Power Grab?

Author / Creator: Craig Dalzell

Media type: Article

Date published: 2024

The Scottish government has introduced land reform legislation to encourage community ownership by granting ministers powers to intervene in the sale of estates of more than 1,000 hectares. 


The Poor Had No Lawyers: Who Owns Scotland and How They Got it

Author / Creator: Andy Wightman

Media type: Book

Date published: 2015

the untold story of how Scotland's legal establishment and politicians managed to appropriate land through legal fixes.


Slipping Slopes; The Common Weal Policy Podcast – Episode #190

Author / Creator: Nick Kempe

Media type: Podcast

Date published:

Nick Kempe talks about the problem Scotland faces with frequent landslips and how they have been exacerbated by Government policy and by the lack of land reform in the country.


Land for the People (Scotland) Bill

Author / Creator: Andy Wightman

Media type: Blog

Date published: 2023

This blog introduces Andy Wightman's proposals for a comprehensive Land Reform Bill


Community Land Scotland statement on the Land Reform Bill 2023

Author / Creator: Community Land Scotland

Media type: consultation response

Date published: 2023

Changes needed to Land Reform Bill 2023


Land Jjustice Bill – Consultation Response

Author / Creator: Community Land Scotland

Media type: consultation response

Date published: 2024

Proposals to limit the amount of land that can be owned by a person outside of public interest.


Reform Scotland’s Land

Author / Creator: Common Weal

Media type: Video

Date published: 2024

There is no country in the western world which has fewer people owning so much of its land as in Scotland


Land for the People (Scotland) Bill

Author / Creator: Andy Wightman

Media type: Blog

Date published: 2024

Proposals for a comprehensive Land Reform Bill – one that goes far further than existing proposals in reforming Scotland’s land governance.


Forest Ownership in Scotland: Policy Review

Author / Creator: Jon Hollingdale

Media type: Report

Date published: 2023

Forestry ownership is intimately related to the multi-faceted requirements of land reform.


Land Reform for the Common Good

Author / Creator: Calum MacLeod

Media type: Discussion Paper

Date published: 2023

The current form of land ownership does not promote the common good.


Work the Land: The Employment Potential of Land Reform

Author / Creator: Robin McAlpine

Date published: 2021

This paper argues against claims that land reform would harm rural employment and seeks to illustrate the kind of jobs that could be created instead and the positive impact radical land reform would have on employment and on wages in rural areas