Community right-to-buy laws to be reviewed

A review of community right-to-buy is to be carried out, the Scottish Government has announced.

It comes as Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said ministers want to see more of the country owned by local communities.

The Scottish Government said a review of community right-to-buy powers, over land or buildings, will begin this summer.

Twenty years after the right-to-buy was established for local groups, the review will look at how effective the current powers are.

It was announced as Ms Gougeon visited the Heart of Newhaven in Edinburgh, which was bought by the local community in 2021 through an asset transfer process.

She said taking ownership of land or buildings – in either an urban or rural setting – can be a “powerful tool for communities to drive change and achieve their goals”.

Ms Gougeon said: “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.”