A MINISTER is set to launch guidance aimed at tackling the prevalence of derelict land in Scotland at a Land Reuse Month event.
Guidance for public bodies on how they can use and manage land productively is to be published at an event held as part of the Scottish Land Commission’s month-long programme.
Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth, Tom Arthur MSP, will launch the Community Wealth Building Guidance at the final session of the Land Reuse Month campaign on Thursday, March 24.
The guidance aims to highlight how the public sector can transform its approach to vacant and derelict land across Scotland, which totals more than 11,000 hectares – an area roughly twice the size of the city of Dundee.
Land Reuse Month has brought together civil servants, community regeneration specialists, land and planning experts, housing advisors, academics, and Scottish Government Ministers to share information and good practice and encourage action to tackle Scotland’s legacy of derelict land.
At the final session, Arthur will launch the Scottish Land Commission’s guidance on how assets and resources can be placed in the hands of local people, to enable community wealth building and bolster local economies.
This guidance sets out actions that can be taken in the short and long term to support an inclusive, sustainable, and empowered local economy – where land is used and managed productively and in the public interest.
Arthur, above, said: “This guide will advance the great work that is already underway and support the aims of our National Strategy for Economic Transformation to deliver economic prosperity for all Scotland’s people and places.
“I look forward to launching the guidance next week at the Community Wealth Building session of Land Reuse Month.”
Hamish Trench, chief executive of the Scottish Land Commission, said: “How we own, manage and use our land is key to building community wealth and strengthening local economies.
"The ways we own and use land influence many parts of our everyday lives – from the price and availability of housing, access to green space, the effects of derelict sites on our communities, our ability to take climate action, or simply the means and confidence for people to build businesses and communities.
“The public sector plays a key role in delivering a community wealth building approach by acting as anchor institutions. They have a substantial impact on local economies through their spending, investment, employment, and their use of land and buildings. Land Reuse Month has brought people from across the public sector and communities to think about how land can be used differently and in the interest of those communities.”
Trench added: “We recognise the many positive actions already being taken by public bodies and this guidance will support them in bringing greater focus on land and buildings in community wealth-building.
“I encourage anyone interested to get involved in our final session of Land Reuse Month to share learning about how reusing vacant or derelict land can make a real impact in communities.”
To register for the final session of Land Reuse Month on Thursday 24 March, visit landcommission.gov.scot/events.
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