New Era for Landowners with Launch of Organisation

Scottish Land & Estates, a new voice for landowners in Scotland, has been unveiled this week.

The new organisation, which represents around 2,500 landowners, has been created to:

• Make the public benefits of landownership more visible
• Raise awareness of the role of landowners and estates
• Promote the role estates play in their communities
• Take a more collaborative approach to the development of land use policy and delivery

Scottish landowners and estates will play host to more than one million visitors in the coming year and will make a major social, economic and environmental contribution to Scotland.

The public enjoys a range of facilities provided by landowners, including tourist attractions, natural and built heritage, leisure facilities and countryside managed to some of the highest standards in the world.

Landowners and estates also play a key role in agriculture, the provision of rural jobs, affordable homes, the creation of business opportunities and the development of energy.

The overall turnover of land-based businesses in Scotland is estimated to be well in excess of £1 billion.

Key initiatives to be launched by Scottish Land & Estates will include:

• The establishment of a Centre for Land Policy
• A strategic partnership with the Historic Houses Association for Scotland

Luke Borwick, chairman of Scottish Land & Estates, said: "Landowners and their businesses already play an important part in the Scottish rural economy.

"There is a real recognition now that landowners can and should do much more – individually and collectively – to promote themselves and the very valuable work they do, and what more they can deliver in the future.

"The feedback we have had from the public is that they enjoy and value their experiences in the countryside but are virtually unaware of the part landowners play in managing the countryside and the facilities they provide.

"The creation of Scottish Land & Estates will aim to change that and give much greater collective visibility to landowners and their businesses.

"Landowners have had a representative organisation for more than 100 years. Scottish Land & Estates is a natural progression and we are now moving into an exciting new era where there is going to be a step change in promoting the many good things we are actively engaged in - agriculture, tourism, leisure, housing, rural business and  energy provision - and how we can deliver more.

"We are also in a unique position to help Government achieve its ambitions in terms of land use and are creating a new Centre for Land Policy, in which we will work closely and constructively with partner organisations to devise practical and implementable land policy ideas that will deliver real benefit to rural Scotland."

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said: "I welcome the commitment from our landowners and estates to ensure that our natural resources help us meet the economic, social and environmental challenges of this century.

"Our estates will welcome over a million visitors over the coming year, contributing to rural jobs and further land-based business opportunities with an overall turnover of more than £1 billion.

"The Scottish Government looks forward to working with Scottish Land & Estates with the shared agenda to further grow and promote rural Scotland."

The strategic partnership agreement between the Historic Houses Association for Scotland and Scottish Land & Estates will see collaboration and best use of resources and will bring the combined expertise and members’ experience to impress upon the Scottish Government and Parliament, key agencies and the public, the crucially positive role played by heritage and land-based businesses in the life of Scotland’s rural areas, and in the success of the country as a whole.

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