The Scottish Revolution? Evaluating the Impacts of Post-Devolution Land Reform

Abstract

Land reform was given high political priority in Scotland following devolution in 1999. The overall objective of the 2003 Land Reform Act (LRA) was to remove the land-based barriers to the sustainable development of rural communities. Using a combination of an expert survey, published commentaries and empirical evidence, this paper critically analyses stakeholder perceptions of the early impacts of the Act and its likely future effects. Further, it evaluates theclaims and counter-claims regarding the pros and cons of two contrasting models of land ownership: private ownership, which has long dominated rural Scotland, and the new forms of ‘social ownership’ by community and conservation bodies. We find that the LRA has accelerated a pre-existing trend away from a dualistic pattern of ownership (private and state) towards amore pluralistic pattern with many experimental models and multi-stakeholder partnerships. The research shows that neither the positive expectations nor the fears expressed about land reform have been fulfilled. Nevertheless, although the Act's buy-out provisions have so far been little used, the LRA has effected a decisive shift in the balance of power between landowners and communities.