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Consultation on community ownership powers!
The Scottish Government is consulting as part of a review aimed at simplifying the 'Community Right to Buy' process.
Views are being sought on how to improve legal rights intended to help community groups take ownership of local land and assets.
The Community Right to Buy, introduced in Scotland in 2003, has empowered rural, urban, and crofting communities to acquire land and assets.
Discussions with those who have engaged with the Rights to Buy have been taking place since last year to develop the proposals published for consultation today (Monday).
Since 2003, 268 applications for Rights to Buy have been received from community groups seeking to acquire their own assets, with two-thirds of these (175) approved by Scottish Ministers.
Rural Affairs and Land Reform Secretary Mairi Gougeon said:
“The first Community Right to Buy was introduced more than 20 years ago in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Those rights have since been extended to cover rural, urban and crofting communities, pre-emptive and compulsory rights, neglected land and assets, and land to support the sustainable development of communities.
“Our discussions with stakeholders have shown that the Rights to Buy process can be complicated and demanding. These insights have helped us set out proposed improvements that we are now seeking views on.
“I would encourage anyone with an interest to take part in this consultation over the next 12 weeks to help Scotland remain a world leader in driving community ownership and investment in our land and assets.”
Chair of the Scottish Land Commission, Michael Russell, said:
“Community Rights to Buy give people a real chance to take an active role in the future of their local places. This consultation is an important step to ensure these rights remain clear, practical and effective in helping communities take ownership of land and buildings that matter to them.
“We are pleased to be chairing a reference group to support the Scottish Government’s review, and we encourage everyone with an interest to share their views through this consultation.”
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced the first two community rights to buy. The Community Right to Buy (Part 2) gave rural communities the right to register an interest in assets. Should the owner choose to sell, the community could then be granted the right to buy that asset without it being offered to anyone else. The Crofting Community Right to Buy (Part 3) gave communities in crofting areas a right to compulsory purchase of assets, whether or not the owner wishes to sell.
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 then amended the Community Right to Buy to widen the rights to urban communities. It also introduced the Community Right to Buy Abandoned, Neglected or Detrimental Land (Part 3A). This is a compulsory purchase right for land that is abandoned, neglected or detrimental to the environmental wellbeing of communities.
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016 introduced a further compulsory right, the Right to Buy Land to Further Sustainable Development (Part 5). This compulsory right does not need land to be in a certain condition and allows communities to nominate a third party purchaser on their behalf.
Community right to buy: review – Scottish Government consultations – Citizen Space
