Land reform bill passed by Scottish Parliament

A public register of who owns land in Scotland will be established after MSPs passed the Scottish government’s Land Reform bill.

The bill was heavily amended in its journey through Holyrood, with the Government lodging 49 amendments at Stage 3, while opposition MSPs lodged over 50. The debate took up most of the day before the bill was passed 102 to 14.

Measures passed include improved right to roam, strengthened ‘common good’ land status and more rights for tenant farmers.

RELATED CONTENT

Scottish Government rejects measure aimed at strengthening land reform

Land reform agenda blasted by Tories

Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Dr Aileen McLeod said it was a “landmark moment” but not the end of the Government’s plans for a “new dawn” of community land ownership.

“I want to do even more to help future generations benefit from our land. Going forward we will establish the Scottish Land Commission, publish a Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement and continue our work towards our one million acre target to community ownership by 2020,” she said.

Scottish Labour’s Sarah Boyack said her party had supported the ambitions of the bill, but were disappointed amendments to improve financial transparency of landowners had not been agreed to.

The way the bill had progressed was “an absolute shambles”, she said.

MSPs coming into the next parliament session will “have their work cut out”, she added.

“We have had huge disagreements. The challenge for the next Parliament will be to continue the level of scrutiny that we have had on the bill and to try to ensure that the legislation, as it is implemented, is fit for purpose. A lot of aspirations are hanging on it.”

Scottish Greens amendments to restrict ownership by large overseas corporate interests using tax havens were rejected.

The party’s land reform spokesman Andy Wightman said an opportunity had been missed to tackle tax dodging and derelict land.

“With a government majority it's simply baffling that the SNP - whose own membership has been agitating for radical measures - have passed up the opportunity to deliver real reforms,” he said.

Scottish Conservatives' Alex Fergusson said the legislation would start "the terminal decline of the tenanted sector" and break down relations between landlords and tenants. The former presiding officer, in his final speech before retirement, said: "I have said many times over the past 17 years that I hope that I am wrong in my predictions, so I will finish my 17 years by repeating that hope." 

Scottish Land and Estates said the debate had become “feverish” with “anti-landowner sentiment”.