Common Good 1
Recent work on common good land is reported here [broken link 2023]. This is a major new area of work and one that is very rewarding as people begin to rediscover assets that belong to them that have been forgotten
Continue readingAuthor: Andy Wightman
Land Reform in England & Wales 2
Things are happening south of the border. Following the election, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Office have set up a Working Group to develop proposals for a community right to buy in England and Wales.
Continue readingLand Reform in England & Wales 1
Good news in the Labour Election Manifesto published today – the first signs of a land reform agenda for England and Wales! In Chapter 9 pages 103 – 105 of the Manifesto the Labour Party write the following: – Building
Continue readingFarming Subsidies
Ross Finnie, the Minister for Environment and Rural Development, made an interesting announcement on Wednesday. He said that the Scottish Executive would in future disclose who got what in agricultural subsidies under the new Single Farm Payment Scheme. This follows
Continue readingInnovative Housing Solutions
I’m grateful to my colleague, Graham Boyd for drawing my attention to an excellent report produced for the Mayor of London on Community Land Trusts and Mutual Housing Models. Such solutions could be very appropriate for overheated housing markets in
Continue readingLessons from Assynt 2
The Assynt Foundation’s 3 applications to register an interest in the Vestey Estate have been successful. Congratulations! The original application from the Assynt Foudnation was withdrawn by the applicants (see my post of 5 November). Interestingly, unlike all other applications
Continue readingRural Housing Problems 2
We know about problems with the planning system and we know about the problems of land availability. For those folk who don’t want to rent from a housing association but want to buy a piece of land on which to
Continue readingLessons from Assynt 1
This morning’s post contained 2 items of particular interest. The first was a citation to attend the High Court for jury service on 1 December. The second was a glossy set of sales particulars for the Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates
Continue readingRural Housing Problems 1
Jim Hunter, the historian, journalist and ex-Chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise was on the Lesley Riddoch programme on Radio Scotland this week. He rightly flagged up the housing shortage as a critical issue for rural Scotland. The difficulties associated
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