Hitting the right tone: What makes good community engagement for landowners

The much-anticipated Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 – previously the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill – was passed in November 2025, laying out a new set of regulations for owners of large landholdings to follow. Central to this is a much greater emphasis on community engagement and communication, with a view to establishing a fairer, more transparent and accountable land management system in Scotland.

This is not entirely unknown territory. The Scottish Land Commission’s voluntary framework has offered guidance on community engagement for landowners, with some take-up, since 2018. Yet the decision to formalise best practice into statutory obligations signals a clear shift in the governance of large landholdings and establishes a uniform protocol for landowners to adhere to.

The question for landowners now is no longer whether to engage, but how to do so effectively, credibly, and strategically.

Making the case for stakeholder engagement for landowners

While the 2025 Act now stipulates community engagement for landowners, those who treat it as such are unlikely to see the rewards that come with strong stakeholder communications. A considered community engagement strategy holds multiple benefits for landowners and has the potential to:

• Improve relationships and foster trust between landholders and the community
• Facilitate smoother planning applications
• Unlock partnership and commercial opportunities
• De-risk land-use decisions
• Pre-empt community buyout pressures

With increased pressures to demonstrate responsible ownership and expanded community rights, proactive stakeholder engagement is now a key asset management function for Scottish landowners. Individuals who do not meet the spirit of the Act risk reputation, financial and commercial penalties.

What does a good community engagement strategy for landowners look like?

Stakeholder mapping

Good community engagement starts with understanding who your community is. Who are you communicating with and how do you reach them? What are their key concerns and interests? Where do they stay, and what is their influence?

Segmenting stakeholders into key groups supports the development of a robust community list to consult on key issues relating to land-use. This may include:

• Geographic communities (residents, crofters, neighbouring communities)
• Elected representatives and functional stakeholders (community councillors, MSPs)
• Community groups (community councils, charities, local action groups)
• Local businesses

Early stakeholder mapping allows estates to develop refined messaging, address key community concerns and hear from a wide range of voices and perspectives on land management activities.

Going beyond traditional consultations

The Land Reform Scotland Act 2025 mandates landowners to demonstrate how community feedback has influenced their long-term plans, marking a shift from information exchange to co-designed land management.  

Community engagement can no longer be considered a tick-box activity for landowners and instead must be fully embedded into the wider land management strategy. A programme of consistent communications, with multiple opportunities for stakeholders to interact with and share feedback on plans, meets the spirit of the 2025 Act, whereby stakeholders are active participants in the decisions relating to land use.

Beyond traditional community consultations, leading estates are adopting tactics such as:

• Regular community information events
• Community feedback surveys
• Regular community communications via newsletters, social media and post
• Participatory planning workshops
• Community advisory panels
• Co-designed land-use pilots (rewilding, housing plots)

This approach directly supports the aim of rooting community involvement in land governance.

Going beyond compliance

The 2025 Act outlines various areas that landowners must address in their community engagement strategy, including consideration of Local Place Plans, adherence to deer management policies, and implementation of net-zero strategies.

Beyond this, landowners should factor in the concerns and interests of community members to strengthen their stakeholder engagement strategy. Whether it be a demand for enhanced leisure facilities or improved public pathways, reflecting stakeholder wishes in communications fosters goodwill, enhances relationships, and demonstrates responsible, community-minded and compliant land management.

Evidencing community engagement 

Transparent land management is at the core of the Land Reform Scotland Act 2025. With this comes a new responsibility for Scottish landholders to publicly document community interactions, demonstrate the impact of stakeholder engagement on decisions around land use, and showcase progress in community proposals.

Clear audit trails, regular progress reporting, digital engagement platforms, and clear, concise summaries of community engagement activities are all essential for an effective stakeholder engagement strategy for landowners.

The risks of not engaging

Failure to meet the new Land Reform regulations holds formal sanctions for landowners, including fines of up to £40,000, and heightened scrutiny from regulators and the Land Commission. Additionally, weak engagement can contribute to poor stakeholder relationships, increased opposition to proposed developments and community buyout attempts, ultimately carrying reputational and commercial risks.

Landowners who embrace community engagement as a core strategic function will be better positioned for resilience, legitimacy, and long-term value creation.

Moving from obligation to opportunity

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 does not just regulate land – it redefines the relationship between landowners and communities.

The most successful estates will be those that treat community engagement as a continuous process, integrate stakeholder activity into decision-making, and use feedback to unlock shared value and innovation in land use.

In this new landscape, community engagement is no longer peripheral. It is central to how land in Scotland is owned, managed, and justified.

Clark has direct experience in developing and implementing robust community engagement strategies for landowners in Scotland. We can support with stakeholder mapping, messaging development and refinement, regular stakeholder communications, event support and collateral, community feedback analysis and reporting.  

Kickstart your community engagement strategy with Clark and get ahead of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill’s community engagement principles. Get in touch with us today.