CLAN Gathering 2026- Oral Presentation Session 1

Understanding chronological differences in largescale community land acquisitions in Scotland

Bobby Macaulay (University of the Highlands and Islands), Alys Daniels-Creasey (University of Edinburgh), Catriona Mallows (University of the Highlands and Islands)

Following a number of high-profile largescale community land buyouts in Scotland in the early 2000s and into the 2010s, numbers of new acquisitions have slowed in recent years. This paper presents findings from a recent study exploring whether this trend is indicative of declining community demand for largescale land acquisition, or what other factors may be influencing it. We utilised a mixed-methods approach, combining: 13 semi-structured interviews with a wide range of community, policy and sector representatives; a survey of representatives from communities that had either acquired or attempted to acquire largescale landholdings; and quantitative analysis of secondary data on both successful and unsuccessful acquisition attempts.

We found a complicated picture of declining numbers of largescale community land acquisitions which, if expressed as a simple drop in demand, ignores other aspects of the current context and dynamics of the sector. While some suggested that latent demand may have largely been met following earlier legislative changes that enabled community ownership, increased barriers to acquisition have intensified in recent years, leading some communities to focus their energies on acquiring smaller assets.

Key barriers to largescale acquisition included stretched community and institutional capacity, insufficient and restrictive funding arrangements, complex and ineffectual legislative mechanisms, and limited appetite for risk among both communities and funders. Participants suggested institutional, legislative, and financial solutions to the identified barriers, including the need to promote alternative routes to community empowerment in addition to ownership. Crucially, the vast majority of largescale community land acquisitions have heavily depended on opportunism and the presence of a willing seller, indicating the power still held by landowners in the expansion of community ownership. These findings highlight the ongoing influence of power relations and structural conditions in shaping opportunities for community ownership in Scotland, with important implications for land reform policy, practice, and future research.

Community Ownership & the Housing Crisis

Chris Dalglish (South of Scotland Community Housing)

Community led housing is Scotland’s fastest growing housing sector and a significant part of our community ownership story. But it is poorly documented and there is a need for better evidence, not least to support the case for continued public investment.

In 2025, to address this gap in knowledge, South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH) conducted a ‘Census of Community Led Housing in Scotland’ on behalf of the Community Led Housing Alliance. The immediate purpose was to inform the Alliance’s manifesto and campaign for the 2026 election: ‘Back Scotland’s Communities to Provide More Homes’.

The Alliance is a network of over 70 community organisations together with the regional/national bodies South of Scotland Community Housing, Communities Housing Trust, Community Land Scotland and Development Trusts Association Scotland. It is supported by funding from the Nationwide Foundation. The Census has – for the first time – provided a comprehensive understanding of the character and extent of community led housing in Scotland. It has documented over 175 development trusts and others which are acting to address local failures in the housing system. It has shown that communities have already provided hundreds of affordable homes, including new-build homes on community owned land; existing homes which have been brought into community ownership and renovated, and; homes created from the conversion of non-domestic buildings acquired through community asset transfer. The Census has also shown that communities could provide as many as 1,700 more homes in the next five years, with the right backing.

In this presentation, Chris Dalglish – SOSCH’s Partnership & Learning Manager – will introduce the Census and its main findings, and discuss how they relate to the ongoing development of policy and practice in the sector. Drawing on the Census results, he will also discuss how community led housing relates to wider community ownership and land reform.

Tales from the Carbon Frontier: why energy communities and net zero do not go hand in hand

Cornelia Helmcke (University of St Andrews)

Community energy projects have been one of the most promising ways of generating community wealth in the Highlands and Islands directly supporting governmental just transition ambitions. Nevertheless, the Feed in Tariff scheme – the single most important UK policy mechanism in support of small renewable energy projects – run out in 2019 and CARES - the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme – has realigned its priorities towards the finance of “local” energy (including individual or farm level installation of heat pumps and solar panels) and retrofit initiatives (partially demanding the application of specific technologies). Both changes have increased the barriers of entry into the energy market for community groups. This paper argues that this process reflects a wider trend in neoliberal net zero governance which concentrates its efforts on “derisking” large, profit-driven developments that can reduce national carbon emission numbers fast (i.e. totalisation), while calling on individual households and “consumers” to change their behaviour in the aid of decarbonisation targets (i.e. individualisation). The paper presents a narrative analysis of governmental transition ambitions and how these relate or contrast to community tales of everyday interactions with energy, climate and environment. Particularly, I will analyse the struggles and aspirations of energy communities – here loosely defined as those having a stake in renewable energy generation – amidst the expanding Carbon Frontier – the commodification of nature’s services in the aid of decarbonisation statistics and profitmaking.

Fighting for Space: A Call for Fairer, More Inclusive Community Landownership

Heather Yearwood (Community Land Scotland)

Community landownership gives local people more control over buildings and land, helping communities shape their own future. It has worked well in many rural parts of Scotland, and the idea has now spread into towns and cities. But for many groups — especially Black and Minoritised communities and communities in more resource deprived urban areas — the system is not working as it should. These groups are, quite literally, fighting for space in a system that often overlooks their needs.

This presentation shares preliminary findings from community‑led research carried out directly with 10 community groups in Glasgow and the central belt. While the findings are not intended to represent every community, they offer important early insights into the barriers these groups face when trying to buy or manage land or buildings. These barriers include: • not knowing where to start or how the process works • complicated rules that don’t suit communities spread across a city • unclear or outdated information about who owns buildings • slow and sometimes unfair treatment from public bodies • high costs and strict conditions that make long‑term success difficult.

Many Black and Minoritised groups also experience discrimination or feel that the system was never designed with them in mind. Even when groups do manage to secure an asset, they often struggle with running costs, repairs, and ongoing funding. Despite all this, communities show huge determination and creativity. They want safe, welcoming spaces for cultural activities, support services, social enterprises, and community wellbeing — but they are often forced to work much harder than others to access them. This talk will share these indicative early findings and open up a wider discussion about what might need to change in practice, policy, legislation, and support systems. The aim is to encourage further research, collaboration, and debate so that Scotland’s land reform movement can support all communities and become truly inclusive.

ScotLand Futures

Julie Rostan and James Mackessack-Leitch (Scottish Land Commission)

In 2025, the Scottish Land Commission conducted the ScotLand Futures qualitative survey, capturing how people experience current challenges and expectations around land in Scotland. Drawing from more than 1,200 responses across the country, the study reveals a collective appetite for change in the way land is owned and used in Scotland. Respondents identified a range of common challenges and avenues to reach a more positive future.

Preliminary results showed a profound desire for communities to have a "real say" in local developments. Communities currently feel marginalised in decision-making processes, leading to a sense of alienation from the very land that shapes their daily lives. The concentration of land ownership is viewed as a systemic hurdle for local growth. Respondents linked concentrated power to the inability of young families to find housing and the stagnation of small businesses, calling for a future where land serves broader social needs. Respondents expressed that large landowners should be active participants in the community; absentee landowners are seen as inaccessible and potentially detrimental. Clear examples were provided, such as cases of vacant and derelict sites, with a preference for owners who are integrated into local life. Another barrier to community trust is the difficulty in accessing information regarding land ownership. Respondents emphasised that improving transparency should be a prerequisite for accountability and local engagement.

The ScotLand Futures responses provide clear overview of the numerous challenges faced across Scottish communities. At the heart of many of these is a need for fostering a more equitable distribution of power. These insights also provide key avenues to move towards a future where land is owned and managed with, by, and for communities, ensuring a more resilient and empowered Scotland.