THE chair of the Scottish Land Commission has called for more urgency and ambition when it comes to land reform in Scotland.

Former SNP president Michael Russell has delivered his first major speech since taking up the position of chair in February.

At Community Land Scotland’s annual conference in Perth on Friday, Russell welcomed the new Land Reform Bill, which was introduced to the Scottish Parliament in March.

He described the proposed new power for ministers, which would require the “lotting” or dividing up of larger landholdings into smaller areas, as a “radical step which recognises that the rights of property are not absolute”.

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“That view is a commonplace in other countries where property rights are balanced with other rights including the right to a home and the right to remain living in a community of one’s choice,” he added.

However, Russell noted that although there has been consistent political support for land reform in Scotland since devolution, “it now demands both a greater sense of urgency and a wider support base in order to achieve what so many have wished for”.

He added: “Moreover, I think it is clear that both urgency and support need to be informed by a firm factual basis, including more detailed information on the benefits of land reform for communities and citizens, and some practical demonstration to them that such is indeed the case.”

The National: Michael Russell in his study. Photograph by Colin Mearns

After quoting a submission to the first Labour consultation on land reform, which was launched 25 years ago, Russell laid out what was required to “finish the job” on land reform in Scotland.

He proposed the collective development of a set of proposals on key issues such as taxation, overseas ownership, and the size of holdings, all of which should be “fair to all parties and will stand the test of time”.

He added that this would also be seen as “delivering community wealth building and a just transition to net zero, placing land reform firmly within the overall context of a wellbeing economy and progressive society”.

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Furthermore, Russell said that reducing the concentration of land ownership, encouraging more community ownership, and implementing more accountability and openness is land management would ensure that “the majority of people in Scotland are no longer alienated from the land that should, in rights, be an asset for us all about which we make the decisions and which can help us shape our destinies”.

“When that alienation is resolved, power is vested in individuals and communities, and good things start to happen as we have seen with community buyouts in many places,” he added.

“Good things including increased individual, collective, and national prosperity.

“Those are prizes worth working for. Together, we can re-imagine our own future. And then we can make it real.”