Land is power
Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess has urged the Scottish Government to back her calls to prevent the super wealthy from hoarding Scotland’s land.
Ariane’s proposal, which is being moved as an amendment to the upcoming Land Reform Bill, would allow Ministers to refuse a land sale if the buyer already owns 500ha of Scotland.
With half of Scotland’s land owned by less than 1% of people, our land distribution is some of the most unequal in Europe.
If backed by the Scottish Parliament, Ariane’s amendment would make radical changes to land reform law, removing some of the hurdles that prevent greater numbers of ordinary Scots from owning plots of land. These could form sites for new businesses, community enterprises, housing and outdoor recreation spaces.
Ariane said:
“Land is power, and far too much of it is in the hands of a very small number of extremely rich people. We need to turn that around, with curbs on how much can be held by any one person and what they use it for.
“What chance do communities have of being able to shape the world around them when they can be outbid by a wealthy and remote landowner who is only looking to exploit it for profit?
“Scotland has some of the world’s most iconic hills, rivers, nature and coastlines. These should benefit all of us rather than being bought and sold by the super rich as a commodity.
“I hope that the government backs my proposals and that we can curb the power of the land hoarders and start to put Scotland’s land in Scotland’s hands.
“It is only with bold action that we can finally undo some of the damage that has been done and start to tip the balance and the power away from the super wealthy and towards ordinary people and communities.”