A new role to strengthen community engagement and support greater transparency and accountability in how Scotland's land is owned and managed.
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 establishes a new Land and Communities Commissioner within the Scottish Land Commission.
The Commissioner will have a key role in strengthening community engagement and increasing transparency and accountability in how Scotland's land is owned and managed.
The role will sit alongside the existing Land Commissioners and Tenant Farming Commissioner as part of the Commission's Board, with specific statutory responsibilities relating to large landholdings.
The Land and Communities Commissioner will have new powers and responsibilities in two main areas. These will come into force in stages once Parliament has agreed the relevant regulations.
The Commissioner will oversee compliance with new legal requirements for community engagement and Land Management Plans on large landholdings.
These requirements are intended to give communities greater opportunities to understand and influence decisions about how land is managed.
The Commissioner will have powers to investigate potential breaches of these requirements and take enforcement action where necessary.
The Commissioner will also have an advisory role in the new arrangements when the transfer test applies to large landholdings.
Ministers will be able to ask the Commissioner to prepare a report to inform decisions about whether the land should be sold in lots.
The new arrangements will introduce additional responsibilities for owners of large landholdings, alongside new opportunities for communities to be involved in decisions about land.
The new requirements will apply to landholdings of more than 1,000 hectares. Scottish Government will be consulting on the regulations to introduce these measures. Further information and guidance will be made available as these measures are introduced.
“The Land and Communities Commissioner will be an important addition to our Board, bringing new responsibilities and strengthening our ability to support positive change in how Scotland’s land is owned and managed. Together, we will work to turn the ambitions of land reform into practical change for people and communities.”
The Scottish Government is responsible for the timetable for implementing the legislation, including the development of further regulations.
The Scottish Land Commission is working with the Scottish Government and stakeholders to prepare for the introduction of the new arrangements.
We will update this page as more information becomes available about when the Commissioner's different functions will take effect and how they will operate in practice.
Recruitment for Scotland's first Land and Communities Commissioner is now open, with the appointment being managed by the Scottish Government through the public appointments process.
This is an opportunity to take on a new statutory role and help shape how the legislation is put into practice.
The Commissioner will work with communities, landowners and other stakeholders as the new arrangements are introduced, helping to support fair, transparent and responsible land ownership and management.
We are hosting an online information session on Tuesday 10 November 2026 for anyone interested in applying for the role.
Members of the Scottish Land Commission's Board will explain more about the role and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
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