New Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) figures show that 17 community groups in North Ayrshire now own their own land.
Just under 500 community groups across Scotland have benefited from the SNP’s progressive land reform policies, that help enable communities to control their own destiny. While the majority of beneficiaries are in rural areas, it is important to note that the extension of the £10m Scottish Land Fund beyond rural communities is also helping urban communities to buy community assets.
The SNP Government is well on its way to reaching the One Million Acres of Community Ownership target by 2020.
Commenting, SNP MSP for Cunninghame South, Ruth Maguire, said:
“While it’s fantastic that Scotland’s ground breaking land reform has brought over half a million acres of land into community ownership – it’s even more impressive when you consider the human impact of this reform with nearly 500 community groups now in charge of their own destiny in Scotland.
People are well and truly at the heart of the SNP’s land reform efforts that enable communities to thrive and make decisions about places that would often otherwise be lying derelict – and this is at the very heart of our community empowerment strategy that is aiming to make Scotland a more prosperous and fairer place to live.
In North Ayrshire, land reform has empowered 17 community groups to bring community assets into community ownership. Anything we can do to reverse the depopulation trend in Scotland and encourage more people to live and work in Scottish communities should be encouraged, especially in the face of a damaging Tory hard Brexit. And land reform is a key vehicle to do this and to build stronger, more sustainable, and attractive communities across Scotland.”
Ruth Maguire MSP 