Understanding what’s happening with Scotland’s land

16 June, 2026

Cabinet Secretary visits Tarras Valley to see land reform in action

Representatives from Tarras Valley Nature Reserve shared the inspiring story of their community buyout with Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin MSP during a visit to Langholm.

9 June, 2026

Caution replaces speculation in Scotland’s rural land market

A more cautious and selective approach to buying land is emerging across Scotland’s rural land market, according to a new report published by the Scottish Land Commission.

26 May, 2026

A proactive approach to bringing ownerless land back into use in Scotland

Until three years ago, the KLTR only dealt with ownerless property brought to our attention via referrals. Recommendations from the Scottish Land Commission encouraged the KLTR to change approach leading to the creation of the KLTR’s Ownerless Property Transfer Scheme (OPTS).

12 May, 2026

Seeing past the stereotypes: Building trust through constructive conversations about land

I’ve been struck by the clarity of one message that is coming through this work - the importance of building trust and challenging inflammatory language.

19 March, 2026

Tax could help drive climate action and land reform – but report finds peatland carbon tax faces practical challenges

New advice published today by the Scottish Land Commission explores how tax and fiscal policy could play a stronger role in helping Scotland cut greenhouse gas emissions from land while supporting land reform objectives.

26 February, 2026

How Scotland can open up land opportunities

The Scottish Land Commission has today published a policy roadmap as the culmination of its ScotLand Futures initiative, setting out how Scotland can go further in reforming the ownership and use of land.

10 February, 2026

What does it mean to value land fairly and credibly in practice?

Some kinds of land reform – especially those delivered through the tax system – rely on valuing land. Land valuation may seem like a technical matter of data and professional expertise, but it’s deceptively challenging in practice, and that matters for reform.

2 February, 2026

Relinquishment and Assignation: Are we seeing the benefits?

I was contacted recently by a new entrant who had become somewhat disillusioned with the procedure for trying to purchase a tenancy that had been through the Relinquishment and Assignation process. They were experiencing a number of barriers to progressing the purchase and wanted to highlight some issues they had faced.