Question reference: S6W-19951
- Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 14 July 2023
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Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 August 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many privately-owned land holdings over 500 hectares are used for (a) food production, (b) timber production, (c) energy generation, (d) carbon sequestration, (e) affordable housing, (f) flood reduction, (g) nature recovery and (h) natural heritage.
Answer
While the Scottish Government does not currently hold land use data for land as categorised in the question, it does hold information in relation to land use for specific purposes. For example, the Scottish Government's Rural Payments and Inspections Division hold data on the use of land parcels where farmers make applications for funding. The claimant may not, however, be the owner of the land.
Individual land holdings of over 500 hectares will often have a mixture of uses. For example, Scottish Forestry has engaged with 324 separate areas of privately owned land over 500 hectares that are under forest cover and used primarily for timber production and carbon sequestration. These can be broken down as:
- 4 forest management plans over 500 hectares have been approved by Scottish Forestry (Scottish Government agency) since 2011;
- 310 Long Term Forest Plans over 500 hectares have been approved by Scottish Forestry since 2009; and
- 10 Forestry Grant Scheme Woodland Creation cases over 500 hectares have been approved since 2015.
These areas of land will also contribute to natural heritage and nature recovery as they all include areas of native woodland and other habitats.
As outlined in the Scottish Government’s consultation for the forthcoming Land Reform Bill, proposals for compulsory Land Management Plans for large land holdings will require land holders to detail the use and management of their land. This will further improve transparency of land ownership and empower communities.