Land reform Bill: Labour MSP in bid to introduce 500ha cap

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

The MSP is to lodge amendments that would introduce a presumptive cap on land ownership.
Her proposal would prevent any individual or entity from buying, selling or owning more than 500 hectares by default.
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MSPs backed the general principles of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill in March. Holyrood's Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee is set to begin Stage 2 scrutiny on Tuesday, considering hundreds of proposed amendments.
The Bill has two parts. The first would place a duty on the owners of the largest landholdings to engage with the local community about the use of the land. It also proposes mechanisms to make it easier for community groups to purchase land when it is put up for sale.
The second part addresses the agricultural and environmental use of leased farmland.
Ms Villalba's amendment would mean any transaction exceeding the 500 hectare threshold would trigger a forward-looking public interest test, assessing whether the sale benefits local communities and Scotland more broadly.
Where estates fail the test, ministers could require them to be divided and sold in smaller parcels—a measure aimed at curbing further concentration.
She also plans to amend the Bill's definition of 'large-scale' landholding to account for total land owned, rather than just contiguous holdings. This is intended to prevent landowners from avoiding regulation by holding multiple, smaller, separate parcels.
A further amendment would stop ministers from raising the acreage thresholds without full scrutiny by the Scottish Parliament, amid concerns future governments could dilute the reforms.
Ms Villalba said more ambitious action is needed to dismantle Scotland's entrenched 'land monopoly'.
Mercedes Villalba outside the Trump course in Balmedie (Image: Contributed) Despite over two decades of land reform legislation, the country is often cited as having the most unequal land ownership in the western world.
Research published last year by former Green MSP and land reform advocate Andy Wightman found that half of Scotland's privately owned rural land—some 3.2 million hectares—is held by just 433 owners, including estates, corporations and trusts. Community bodies, by contrast, own only around 2.8% of rural land.
Campaigners argue that this extreme concentration has remained largely unchanged since the early 20th century, resulting in 'localised monopoly' power in some areas.
However, in response to the Scottish Government's consultation, Scottish Land and Estates argued there is no substantial evidence that the scale of landholdings negatively impacts the country. They said scale and concentration should be treated as separate issues.
'There appears to be no evidence that there is a detrimental impact on Scotland due to the scale of land holdings,' they said. '
The Scottish Land Commission's own evidence points to the issue being potentially one of concentrated land ownership in specific areas, rather than scale itself. Therefore any measure of scale will always be an inappropriate instrument in dealing with any adverse impacts on communities or the prosperity of Scotland in a wider context.'
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Ms Villalba said:'To deal with the serious problem of concentrated land ownership, we need a radical shift that prioritises community benefit and empowers local people to shape the future of their land, rather than merely tinkering round the edges.
'Today, Scotland's land is concentrated in the hands of the new nobility—asset managers, foreign billionaires, and the inheritors of huge estates. Just 0.025% of the population own 67% of our countryside.
'This Bill presents a chance to change that, break the ultra-wealthy's grasp on Scotland's resources and build a fairer, more prosperous Scotland for all of us. But currently it simply does not meet the scale of the challenge.
'That is why the proposals must include a presumed limit on ownership over 500 hectares, unless it is in the public interest.
'Without a meaningful public interest test, we risk allowing land to be sold or managed in ways that benefit private interests at the expense of the public good. We need a mechanism that ensures that decisions about land are made with the long-term wellbeing of our communities at heart.'