Why land reform matters more than ever: Five takeaways from 2025
Hamish Trench
As we come to the close of 2025, it’s clear that questions of who owns Scotland’s land, how it’s used, and who benefits from it have moved further into the public eye. This has been a year when long-running debates sharpened, new voices joined the conversation, and the need for reform is felt more widely than ever.
1. Public engagement in land reform is deepening
The year has seen wide public engagement in questions of how land is owned and used. Public debate on the new bill and initiatives such as the Big Land Question by the REVIVE coalition demonstrate the public appetite for further reforms.
As a Commission we launched our ScotLand Futures initiative, asking an open question on what changes people would like to see to the way land is owned or used, and what difference it would make to them, their community or work. We held public meetings, invited individual contributions, and through our public survey we heard from over 1,200 voices on what matters most to them. The clear message is that people are seeking more change in how land is owned and used and for reforms to address some longstanding issues in Scotland’s land system.
2. The Land Reform Act marks a significant step forward
Much debated through the year within and beyond parliament, we now have the final shape of the legislation. The limits of the Act have been widely discussed but we should recognise the significance of what it will do when implemented. Large areas of land will no longer be sold without prior notification, large landholdings will have an obligation to engage locally and publish management plans, and for the first time, Ministers will be able to require land to be lotted when sold. These are significant shifts.
Our focus now turns to helping government implement the Act in a way that gives clarity for all interests in when and how the measures will be implemented and that can achieve the impact parliament intends.
3. Rural land sales highlight evolving pressures and public concerns
Each year the Commission tracks insights and data on Scotland’s rural land market, building not just an annual snapshot but a picture over time. Our recently published report looks back at 2024, but a number of high-profile land sales through 2025 did catch public attention.
Some sparked debate about shifts in the ‘natural capital’ sector and corporate ownership, several highlighted the continued expansion of existing landholdings. Others brought attention to the impact on local communities when large areas go up for sale with little or no notice – something that will no longer be possible when the new Act is implemented. Large estate sales attract understandable attention, but it remains the case that very little of Scotland’s land, less than 2%, comes on to the market each year. That scarcity continues to influence how opportunities for change arise and how policy should respond.
4. People are very aware of land use change
People see land use change happening and are very alive to the threats and opportunities it presents. The Scottish Government engaged on its new Land Use Strategy this year, as well as publishing the updated Climate Change Plan. Land use change featured strongly in our ScotLand Futures initiative, with people wanting to ensure that the value created flows into local economies and that local communities have the opportunity for a stake in the ownership, delivery and benefits of new energy projects, woodland expansion and natural capital investment.
5. Community rights to buy continue to develop in practice and policy
The Scottish Government began a review of community rights to buy, an important opportunity to improve and simplify these rights so that they remain an effective option for communities.
In May, an appeal against the exercise of the Community Right to Buy for Sustainable Development at Poet’s Neuk in St Andrews was refused by a sheriff. As the right allows for the forced sale of land against an owner’s wishes, it sets a high legal bar. This was the first challenge of its kind, and its outcome provides some clarity on how the legislation operates in practice. Legal challenges in land reform are to be expected given it affects property rights, but this case reinforces that proper use of sound law can legitimately enable intervention in the public interest.
What’s ahead in 2026?
At the Commission we have much to look forward to in 2026. Alongside supporting the implementation of the new Land Reform Act, we will be advising on the next big steps in Scotland’s land reform and preparing a new three-year strategic plan.
Across our ScotLand Futures engagement this year one theme kept returning in conversations – confidence and certainty. From individuals, campaigners, landowners and managers and community representatives, we heard a shared desire for a clear and predictable pathway for land reform. Of course, perspectives differ and ideas remain contested, but there is a common interest in wanting to refocus on the outcomes land reform should deliver and the big steps needed to get there. That feels like a good place to start for 2026.
