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Chamber and committees

Community Wealth and the Emergence of "Green Lairds"

  • Submitted by: Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour.
  • Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 2021
  • Motion reference: S6M-00875
  • Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Thursday, 30 September 2021

That the Parliament notes emerging developments in the market for land, with what it sees as a growing emphasis on the purchase of land for climate-related reasons; notes recent commentary referring to new owners of such land as "green lairds"; understands that Scotland has a pattern of highly-concentrated, private land ownership by international standards; believes that the operation of the Scottish land market is largely unregulated and that the purchase of substantial areas of land serves wealthy, private buyers in particular; understands that ownership of land in Scotland provides access to substantial public funding and tax arrangements, which support the building of private wealth; regrets what it sees as the commodification and financialisation of the climate emergency through the market for land; notes what it sees as the Scottish Government's commitment to community wealth building, to a just transition through the climate emergency, and to the progressive realisation of people's economic, social and cultural human rights; considers that securing more community ownership of land would be a key means to deliver greater community wealth, a more just transition through the climate emergency and progress toward the realisation of social, economic and cultural rights, including in the Highlands and Islands region, and notes the calls on the Scottish Government to consider land-market regulation and public expenditure controls to achieve greater equity and benefit-sharing from public policy, and to make significantly greater ownership of land and built assets by local communities a strategic priority in building community wealth and empowering communities in responding to the climate emergency.


Supported by: Sarah Boyack, Ariane Burgess, Maggie Chapman, Foysol Choudhury, Monica Lennon, Richard Leonard, Michael Marra, Carol Mochan, Emma Roddick, Alex Rowley, Paul Sweeney, Mercedes Villalba, Martin Whitfield