ScotLand Futures – creating new land opportunities for our built environment
In the seventh blog in our Joining the Dots series, Katherine Pollard, Head of Policy at the Scottish Land Commission, explores how land reform connects directly to Scotland’s built environment ambitions. Drawing on the ScotLand Futures initiative, which engaged over 1,200 people, Kathie argues that land reform is not just a rural issue but critical to addressing urban challenges from housing need to high street decline. She outlines three priorities for the next phase of land reform: opening new land opportunities, rebalancing power to ensure ownership works for the public good, and shaping change locally through strengthened planning. With 96% of respondents calling for further changes to land ownership and use, Kathie demonstrates how existing powers, from compulsory purchase to tenement maintenance models, can be better utilised to create thriving, equitable and sustainable places across Scotland.
The Scottish Land Commission has published a new policy roadmap setting out next steps for reforming ownership and use of land to benefit people and places in Scotland. This brings together the findings of our ScotLand Futures initiative where more than 1,200 people shared their views and priorities for land reform alongside international evidence.
The appetite for change is strong, with 96% of respondents feeling further changes to land ownership and use are needed. While Scotland has taken important steps over the past 25 years, pressures on land are now sharper and more urgent.
Why does this matter to BEFS?
Often land reform is seen as a rural issue, yet the frustrations and challenges are common to urban areas too. There is a huge housing need, major changes in our landscapes and high streets, and too many people feel locked out of decisions that shape their communities and futures. There is also a sense of frustration with wasted potential and dereliction.
Our land reform policy agenda matters to the built environment because its aim is to ensure that people benefit from how land is used and owned. We have a shared goal which is to create thriving, more equitable and sustainable places. The land reform agenda therefore directly links to how we use, restore and retrofit buildings and assets.
We see three priorities for the next phase of land reform.
Opening new land opportunities
We must make ownership and use possible for more people. This will diversify ownership, support housing and enterprise, and build community wealth. We can do this by creating a programme for small scale land ownership, a public land bank and public land agency. We should also simplify and strengthen routes into community and co-operative ownership. Examples like Bath Street Collective Custom Build housing in Edinburgh are few in Scotland, despite the many economic and social benefits such as all costs flowing directly into the project and fostering community agency.
Rebalancing power by ensuring land ownership works for the public good
Land ownership gives power, and where that power is overly concentrated or misused it must be possible to safeguard the public interest. In order to protect the public interest while ensuring power is exercised responsibly, we believe that new ways of considering the public interest should be introduced when significant areas of land are acquired. This should include expectations around local presence. We should also establish clear mechanisms to intervene where the power of land ownership is misused.
Shaping change locally
Scotland is undergoing major land use change and development – ranging from energy infrastructure to new settlements. We need to put people at the heart of these decisions as public support depends on local involvement and benefit. To do this, regional land use planning and local place planning should be strengthened. This can help realise the purpose of planning as set out in the 2019 Planning Act, which is to manage the use and development of land in the long-term public interest. Local stakes in ownership, delivery and benefit should be created. We should also improve local authority powers to support productive land use, for example via compulsory sales orders.
So how can we practically deliver this?
No single act can deliver these priorities, but we can make progress through a mix of regulation, policy and practice on the ground.
The good news is that many of the powers and policies already exist and are familiar to BEFS members. For example, public bodies could make better use of compulsory purchase powers to create new land opportunities. Let’s consider using existing taxes and incentives to support regeneration and address inequalities. Tenement maintenance models can be an opportunity to manage land and buildings in the longer term. Let’s look at how disposals and acquisition processes create positive, lasting impacts for communities. Local Place Plans could help communities meaningfully influence local decisions. There’s also a lot we could achieve by improving and joining-up land data.
The Scottish Land Commission is working to promote and embed these priorities both in policy and practice. Our website has practical resources and there’s a team that works to bring together different voices and join the dots on these issues.
Katherine Pollard is Head of Policy at the Commission, leading the team responsible for policy advice, analysis and research to inform key areas of land policy. Together they provide advice to government, parliament and stakeholders. She has a background working on planning, environmental and nature finance policy working for the Scottish Government and third sector organisations. Since joining the Commission in 2018, Katherine has worked on a wide range of land reform topics including tax, vacant and derelict land and measures to address concentrated landownership.
Get in touch – to find out more about BEFS work or to discuss a particular topic or policy area email us at info@befs.org.uk or contact the Team.
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