Scots tenants win right to buy

09 July 1999

Scots tenants win right to buy

SCOTTISH communities will have the right to buy their land at an independently-assessed price under plans outlined yesterday (Thursday) by Scotlands Lib-Lab coalition.

But they will only be able to buy land that has been put on the market – scotching hopes that big landowners would be forced to sell.

The White Paper details how communities will be able to register an interest in buying land. It also includes compulsory purchase provisions to prevent bad land management.

Jim Wallace, Scotlands deputy prime minister, also outlined plans for walkers to have better countryside access.

The Scottish Landowners Federation is opposed to the proposed legislation.

The Herald reports that about £10m of lottery funds could be made available to help local communities in rural Scotland buy the land on which they live and work.

• The Independent 09/07/99 page 8
  
• The Herald 09/07/99 page 6