Since 1999 the approach of Scottish Governments to land and real estate has been reflected in the Land Reform Act of 2003 giving access to the countryside; ensuring rights to buy for crofters and local communities; and more recently, the establishment of the Land Review Group set up to produce a radical shake up of land ownership in Scotland, ‘changing a Nation owned by a few to a country owned by many.’ A worthy ambition which ensures a continuing political and social battle as historically rural land and its ownership has always been a contentious issue.
By contrast no-one seems concerned as to who owns commercial property and there is a miscellany of international individuals, companies and investors who have acquired and continue to hold property in our cities substantially more ‘valuable’ than all rural Scotland. There has been no problem with that, indeed we continue to encourage it.
Another government policy affecting land has been the encouragement given to production of renewable energy particularly through onshore wind. The renewable energy bandwagon careers onward costing more money and doing real environmental harm while producing modest quantities of energy and it is around these turbines that renewable enthusiasts and environmentalists, often instinctive political and emotional allies, have significant disagreements with many ongoing planning disputes. A good example is the current fight in Shetland by an environmental group ‘Sustainable Scotland’ against plans to build 103 turbines on the grounds that wildlife and migratory birds would be unprotected. Wherever they are built these turbines inevitably have long term deleterious effects on the landscape and environment.
Our Government has appeared to discount ‘fracking,’ identifying potential long term problems below the surface. But in Scotland it should be possible to site ‘fracking’ along the coastline, where above ground disturbance is small, and the process could be extended under the seabed.
Dare I say it that the most efficient use of land for energy production would be to make more use of nuclear energy. Studies confirm that wind farms delivering the same amount of power as a nuclear reactor would require 500 times as much land.
Alternative elements for production and complementary progress on clean up could eventually make this alternative more attractive in such a small country.
But I won’t hold my breath.