SPICe latest briefing on the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) latest briefing covers the subject of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Key areas covered include:

• community engagement and right to buy 
• the lotting of large land holdings 
• the establishment of a commissioner 
• agricultural tenancies 
• small landholdings

The briefing sets out background information and explains the provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 13 March 2024.

The Bill is split into two parts:

Part 1 has six sections, four of which are substantial:

• Section 1 introduces new obligations on landowners to produce Land Management Plans and to engage with local communities, to support the principles of the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement.
• Section 2 ensures that community bodies receive prior notification in certain cases that the owner intends to transfer a large land holding, or part of it, and provides an opportunity for them to purchase the land.
• Section 4 ensures that a large land holding (or more than 50ha of a large land holding) cannot be transferred without applying to Ministers for a decision on whether to sub-divide the land into “lots”.
• Section 6 establishes the office of a new land commissioner called the Land and Communities Commissioner to oversee, investigate and report on some of the provisions in previous sections.

Part 2 has three chapters:

• Chapter 1 concerns a model lease for environmental purposes
• Chapter 2 and the Schedule are about updating the legislation governing small landholdings
• Chapter 3 makes provision in relation to agricultural tenancies, including changes to tenants' right to buy, resumption of agricultural tenancies, compensation for improvements, use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, compensation for game damage, procedures for compensation claims, rent reviews and updating the rules of good husbandry and estate management.

You can find the full briefing here

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre provides impartial, factual, accurate information and analysis to Members in support of Scottish Parliament parliamentary business.