Plans have been put in place to have all of Scotland’s land registered for the first time – showing exactly who owns what.
According to the World Bank, an efficient, effective and indemnified land registration system is one of the most important factors in helping economic development and business growth.
The Scottish Government has now asked Registers of Scotland to come up with a complete land register within 10 years. Currently only 26% is registered.
Ministers have also given a commitment to registering all public land within five years.
The announcement follows yesterday’s controversial report from the Land Review Reform Group which proposed a cap on how much land anyone can own and a new land tax.
Environment and climate change minister Paul Wheelhouse said: “We are committed to addressing land reform that will help build a flourishing modern Scotland.
“The Land Reform Review Group made many recommendations which we will consider carefully and we are already acting in many of the these areas. One of their key recommendations was on land registration and I agree with the group that a fundamental step on this journey must be having a clear understanding of who owns our land in Scotland.
“Along with my colleague enterprise minister Fergus Ewing, I have asked Registers of Scotland to prepare to complete land registration within 10 years, with all public land registered within five years.
“There will be a lot of detail to go through, but we look forward to working with stakeholders to make this possible.
“This will benefit everyone as land transactions are more difficult and expensive if it’s not already on the land register.
“This is a vital underpinning step in Scotland’s land reform journey and will ensure that at last everyone will know who owns Scotland.”