Vacant land on the banks of the Clyde
THE vast majority of Scots support widening urban and rural land ownership to the public, communities and third sector, a poll has found.
Nearly three-quarters (71%) of respondents to a survey of 1500 back the proposal, while just 7% are opposed.
The poll, carried out by Ipsos MORI for Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), also found Scots consider climate change, building on greenspace and inequality in land ownership to be three of the biggest issues for the future of the country’s land.
Close to three-quarters (73%) said they knew little about the Scottish Government’s land reform agenda, but respondents were aware of challenges linked to land. These include concentrated ownership, absentee landlords, vacant and derelict land and land banking (where investors buy land in the hope of profiting in the future).