The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs has announced that The Scottish Government is to begin a review of Community Rights to Buy this summer to look at how effective the current powers are.
Community Right to Buy has now been in use for two decades and during that time, there have been several additions and amendments to the original rights in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and suggestions on how to improve and amend them further.
Speaking during a visit to the Heart of Newhaven, a community venue which was bought by the community in 2021 through the Asset Transfer process, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “Ownership or control of land and buildings – both urban and rural – is a powerful tool for communities to drive change and achieve their goals. It can help to develop the local economy, provide activities and services, and boost community identity.
“We want to increase community ownership as an important way of delivering our vision for Scotland and our three central missions of equality, opportunity and community.
“This review will begin in Summer 2024, following introduction of the Land Reform Bill and report at the end of 2025 and will cover all the current rights to buy and will look at legislative and procedural aspects of the rights to see if new legislation is needed.”
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