A NEW head of property has been appointed by the Crown Estate's Scotland. Andy Wells moves over from his role as head of countryside.

Starting immediately, Andy will be responsible for the organisation’s rural and coastal portfolio which includes 37,000 hectares of rural land with forestry, farming, commercial and residential tenants as well as around half of Scotland’s coastline with ports, harbours and 5800 installed moorings.

Commenting on his appointment, Andy said: “I am looking forward to working closely with our tenants and partners in coastal and rural businesses, supporting sustainable land-use and helping communities and local business benefit from our team’s asset management expertise. The role offers exciting challenges in helping to steer the business through a period of change and we’ll continue to do all we can to place tenants’ and customers’ interests at the forefront of discussions.”

General Manager of The Crown Estate’s Scotland portfolio, Ronnie Quinn, welcomed Andy’s appointment, saying: “Andy brings a wealth of experience to this very important role. His track record in community engagement, countryside management and partnership working is second to none and I’m delighted to have him take up this key role during this important period for the business.”