Scottish Land Reform

A Bill is expected to be put before the Scottish Parliament shortly implementing the SNP administration’s plans for land reform.  Speaking at a Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) meeting the newly-appointed Minister for Environment and Land Reform, Dr Aileen McLeod, stated that legislation would be proposed before the summer recess.  The plan would be for the Bill to become law before the dissolution of the Parliament ahead of the May 2016 Scottish elections.  We wrote about the review into land reform in Scotland back in May 2014.  Among the recommendation was strengthening the community right to buy and even placing an upper limit on the amount of landa private owner could hold.  What will appear in the draft Bill remains to be seen.  Some elements from the recent review of Agricultural Holdings legislation (see January 2015 article) may also be included.