Scotland’s Land Reform plan has been published. Now what?

Scottish landowners now have greater clarity about the timeline for the Land Reform Bill. In an announcement earlier this month, the Scottish Land Commission laid out a strategic three-year land reform plan, outlining its priorities and objectives for the “timely and effective” implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025.

Focused on three key outcomes – creating more opportunities for the public to own, lease or use land; limiting the impact of concentrated land ownership; and enabling communities to influence and benefit from land use decisions – the plan sets out a roadmap to deliver Scotland’s transition to a fairer, more transparent system of land management.

Central to this will be the appointment of a Land and Communities Commissioner, who will oversee landowner compliance with community engagement obligations, such as the appropriate consultation on land use changes and the production and maintenance of an estate Land Management Plan (LMP).  The Commission will also have the authority to enforce regulations and issue penalties for those who fail to comply.

Chair of the Scottish Land Commission, Michael Russel, said: “This plan sets out how the Commission will turn ambition for land reform into practical delivery” and over the next three years, the organisation plans to create new land opportunities, improve Scotland’s land data and strengthen engagement and participation in the land system. These targets will be reviewed regularly, with performance tracked and reported on across the delivery of the Act.

What does the plan mean for Scottish landowners?

This announcement presents an opportunity for Scottish landowners to get ahead of coming regulations and set their estate up for success.

And, while certain aspects of the Act may prove more challenging to implement without clear guidelines, laying the foundations for strong community engagement now will enable a seamless transition when such requirements become enforceable.

For rural landowners looking to make headway in this area, good stakeholder engagement looks like:

• Maintaining regular contact with stakeholders
• Communicating land use updates early and clearly to key stakeholders
• Providing residents with an opportunity to review and feed into land use changes
• Consulting on significant land use changes and developments
• Listening to stakeholder feedback and incorporating it within land management plans
• Recording all community engagement activities
• Annual stakeholder engagement reports  

Strengthening stakeholder communications can only benefit land managers and owners, be it through improving community relationships to aiding smoother planning applications and even unlocking business opportunities and partnerships.

When done well, rural community engagement is less about compliance and more about driving positive change that brings long-term economic and social value.

And for those who don’t have the time or resources to carry out this work alone, OpenGround by Clark is here.

A strategic rural stakeholder engagement package, OpenGround effectively manages community engagement for Scottish landowners to ensure compliance, reduce risk and strengthen relationships between landowners and communities. Our proactive communications strategy is designed to exceed the community engagement criteria set out by the Act, enabling landowners to meet statutory requirements and reap the broader, more powerful rewards that come with it.

The Land Reform Bill is coming, and now Scottish landowners have a timeline to work toward and put themselves in the best position when the time comes.

Discover OpenGround by Clark here.