CONCENTRATED land ownership in some parts of Scotland has led to 'abuse of power', according to a new report published by the Scottish Land Commission.

The report's conclusion is that a 'land monopoly' appears to exist in many areas, putting the lion's share of social, economic and decision-making power in very few hands, hampering economic development and causing serious and long-term harm to the communities affected.

SLC chief executive Hamish Trench said: “Concern about the impacts of concentrated land ownership in Scotland has long been central to the land reform debate. This report allows us to move on from debating whether ownership is an issue, to understanding what the issues are and how they can be addressed.

“Good management can of course reduce the risks associated with the concentration of power and decision making, but the evidence shows that adverse impacts are causing significant detriment to the communities affected. This points to the need for systemic change beyond simply a focus on good management.”

Crucially, the SLC is now recommending the introduction of a public interest test and approval mechanism for 'significant' land transfers, a new obligation for larger land holdings to publish a management plan, and a review mechanism to address adverse impacts on communities where normal responsible management approaches are not effective.

Mr Trench continued: “The reforms we propose are a first step to address the issues identified and move towards a more diverse and dynamic pattern of land ownership."

The Scottish Tenant Farmers Association welcomed the publication, with chairman Christopher Nicolson saying: “STFA is aware of the impact a monopoly of landownership can have on tenant farmers, rural communities and those who live and work on the land and is pleased to see these concerns are a key feature of the report.

“Over the last decade, the land reform agenda has improved the lot of the tenant farmer, encouraged better landlord behaviour, increased confidence and investment in tenanted farms and helped a number of tenant farmers to purchase their farms. However, there are still some pockets where landownership is concentrated in a few hands and tenant farmers have found themselves reluctant to speak out and consequently unable to take advantage of opportunities. STFA welcomes the report’s recognition that there are areas where individuals are still 'feart of the laird'.

“Large scale conversion of agricultural land to forestry, for example, should be subject to planning constraints and should not take place without the agreement of local people'" stressed Mr Nicholson.

Defending landowners, Scottish Land and Estates executive director, Sarah-Jane Laing, said that several issues in the report were already being combated: “We are deeply concerned that the report still sees land ownership rather than land use as the prime route to dealing with issues being faced by communities. Nor does the report adequately reflect the positive and substantial contribution made by rural businesses.

“Landowners and communities are at the start of a new era as a result of the last land reform act passed in 2016. Many of its provisions are still to come into effect and will give communities unprecedented rights and opportunities to acquire land. These provisions should be allowed to take shape before further measures are considered," she suggested.

“We want to see more detailed and compelling examples to support the report’s claim that concentrated landownership is damaging fragile communities. The stereotypical view of landowners held by some simply does not reflect current day reality."