A new final report has been published by the Land Reform Review Group that aims to improve Scotland's relationship with its land.

The independent organisation was announced by the First Minister in 2012 and is responsible for looking at Land Reform in the country 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 report also contains 62 recommendations which focuses on public interest and how to make the most out of land use in Scotland.

-- Advertisement --

Commenting on the findings, Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse, said: "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."

He continued: "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.

"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."

(JP)