The first parts of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act came into force today.
Among the first pieces of legislation to come into fruition are an end to the exemption from business rates for shooting and deer stalking from April 2017, and new powers on the management of deer populations.
Local authorities have also been given the power to change the use of some types of common good land if they apply for court consent.
Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, Roseanna Cunningham, said today marked a “vital next step in a wider and on-going programme of reform across Scotland”.
“The Land Reform Act builds on the foundations of this government’s wider programme of reform across urban and rural Scotland. The act will enable communities and individuals to own and use land to realise their full potential,” added Ms Cunningham.
“These first provisions mean that we will tax shooting and deer stalking businesses in the same way as other businesses in Scotland. They also modernise the law on common good land so councils can better use this resource. Finally, they create new powers to manage wild deer populations.”
She said other parts of the act, including those relating to agricultural holdings and landowners engaging with communities, would begin later in the parliamentary session.
“Implementing the act is not the end of our land reform journey but an important step in ensuring that land in Scotland delivers benefit for everyone,” added Ms Cunningham.
