The Scottish Parliament voted to pass the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill on 5 November 2025 following the Stage 3 debate in the Chamber.
Much has already been written about the Bill and indeed there are a number of articles available that deal with aspects of the Bill in detail on our Land Reform Hub . There have been changes made to the Bill in its later stages in parliament and many of these will be explored in more detail in further articles to follow in due course so do make sure you check back in on the Land Reform Hub for further information or sign up to our Sign up to Rural Business Newsletter.
The Bill contains a number of provisions in relation to Large Landholdings (broadly landholdings over 1000 hectares although note comments below on both the definition of this and possible changes to thresholds) which include:-
- A requirement to have a Land Management Plan in place and to engage with communities on what is within it
- A requirement to notify Scottish Ministers of an intention to sell a Large Landholding
- Increased rights for Community Bodies to purchase land in the event of the sale of a Large Landholding
- A requirement to go through a “lotting” process in the event of a sale of a Large Landholding, whereby Scottish Ministers may decide to break up the Large Landholding into smaller lots
There are also provisions in the Bill amending aspects of Agricultural Holdings legislation including resumption, compensation for improvements and rent reviews and on other matters such as paving the way for the introduction of new forms of leases for letting land for environmental purposes and hutting and changes to Small Landholdings legislation.
It is important to note that although the Bill has been passed by parliament, it is not yet in force and no date has yet been given for it coming into force. It is likely, as has been the case with other pieces of legislation on Land Reform, that different aspects of the Bill will come into force at different times.
Also important to note is that much of the detail is still to follow in secondary legislation and Scottish Ministers also reserve the right to alter other aspects of the legislation by secondary legislation, including the thresholds for what constitutes a Large Landholding.
Towards the end of the parliamentary process the Bill did come under criticism from various stakeholders including in relation to the complexity of the definition of Large Landholdings. The detail of that is for another article. It remains to be seen whether further amendments are made in secondary legislation to address some of those concerns.
Passing Stage 3 is of course a key moment in the Bill’s journey. It is not, however, the end of the road. Much work remains to be done before the full extent of the Bill and its impact on rural landowners and businesses is known. At this stage, anyone possibly affected by the legislation should be aware of any potential implications, take professional advice and consider what they may have to do in the future to comply with the legislation. As much detail is still to follow and further changes are possible many rural landowners and rural businesses may choose to keep a close eye on developments before committing to further action.
Stay informed with our agriculture lawyers on how land reform impacts rural property owners.
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