Advice for
communities and
individuals

Practical guidance for getting involved in decisions about land

On this page

Communities play an important role in how land is used and managed in Scotland.

Whether you are taking part in local decision-making, caring for local places, or exploring new ways of using or owning land, we provide guidance to help you navigate the process with confidence and clarity.

Our role is to help communities understand how land decisions are made, what responsible landownership looks like, and how to engage constructively whether that means joining discussions, asking for better transparency, or raising a concern.

What we can help with

Communities get involved in land in different ways, and our support reflects that.
We can help you:

Understand how a land decision is being made and who is responsible
Take part constructively in discussions or planning with public and private landowners
Explore stewardship or ownership options when appropriate for your community

The principles behind our advice

Our advice is based on Scotland’s Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement (LRRS), which sets out what good practice looks like for everyone involved in land.

We have developed a series of protocols to help communities and individuals understand what responsible land ownership looks like.

Community engagement

Communities should have a meaningful opportunity to be involved in decisions about how land is used or managed.

VIEW PROTOCOL

Good stewardship and natural capital

Land should be looked after in a way that supports local wellbeing, the environment and long-term public value.

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Transparency

It should be clear who owns land, who is responsible for it, and how decisions are made.

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Protocol on opportunities for ownership lease and use of land and buildings

Opportunities for ownership, use and lease of land

Communities should be able to explore ways of using, leasing or owning land where this delivers local benefit.

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Common Good

Land held for community benefit should reflect people’s needs today, not just historic arrangements.

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How we can support you

Communities come to us for support at different stages, sometimes to understand what is happening, sometimes to start a conversation, and sometimes to resolve a difficulty. These are some of the most common questions we help with:

How can I find out who owns land and who to contact?

Finding out who owns or manages land can sometimes be straightforward, but in other cases the information is harder to trace. Registers of Scotland is a starting point, but it doesn't always give the full picture, especially where land is held through companies or trusts.
We can help you understand the different routes to finding ownership information and what good transparency looks like in practice.
Our webinar on this topic explains how communities can find ownership information where it isn't readily available.
We're worried about something happening on land near us - what can we do?

The first step is to understand what is happening and who is making the decision. Even when consultation is not a legal requirement, the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement sets an expectation that communities should have a meaningful chance to ask questions, understand the reasoning and share their views.
The community engagement protocol explains what this looks like in practice, when engagement should happen, what information should be shared, and how landowners should respond to local concerns in a fair and transparent way.
Can we approach a landowner to discuss access or use of land?

Yes. Many communities begin by opening a conversation with the landowner. The Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement sets out what responsible practice looks like in Scotland, including enabling communities to explore ways land can be used for wider public benefit.
The opportunities for ownership, lease and use protocol explains what this means in practice, how conversations can begin, the kinds of information that should be shared, and the different forms access or use can take.
What if we disagree with a landowner or feel we're not being heard?

Disagreement can happen, but good practice means communities should still have a fair opportunity to be listened to and to understand the reasons behind decisions. The community engagement protocol explains what meaningful dialogue should look like including responding to concerns and providing clear information.
Where land is having a direct impact on local people, the principle of good stewardship also applies. This means land should be managed in a way that considers social, economic and environmental outcomes for the local community, not just private interests.
We can help you understand how these expectations apply in your situation and what reasonable next steps might look like if constructive dialogue is not happening.

Our advice and guidance

We publish a range of guidance to help landowners and managers put these principles into practice. Key tools include:

Toolkits and route maps – step-by-step resources, protocols, and guidance to support communities getting involved in local land issues.
Events and training – opportunities to learn and share good practice.
Case studies and stories – real examples of how communities are making change happen.

Featured guidance

A practical guide to help communities understand how vacant or derelict sites are identified, who is responsible for them, and the steps you can take to bring land back into productive use.

Community-led action on vacant and derelict land

A practical framework to help deliver fair, lasting benefits through natural capital projects.

ACCESS THE ROUTE MAP

Good Practice in action

Across Scotland, landowners and managers are putting the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement into practice. Our case studies and news posts highlight how good stewardship, community engagement and transparent decision-making work on the ground, and the difference these approaches can make for landowners, communities and the wider public.

READ CASE STUDIES AND STORIES

Events and learning

Join our webinars and training sessions to hear from our advisers and others working across Scotland.

These sessions offer practical examples of how landowners and communities are working together, and how good practice can deliver better outcomes for everyone.

FIND OUT MORE

Related areas of our work

Our advice for communities connects with other areas of our work:

Get in touch

If you’d like to discuss your situation in more detail, you can speak to one of our advisers.

There are 3 main ways to get in touch:

Call us on 01463 423 300
Email us at goodpractice@landcommission.gov.scot
Fill in the online contact form to tell us a bit about your situation.

We handle all conversations sensitively. However, as a public body, we are subject to Freedom of Information legislation. You can read more about how we handle personal information in our casework privacy policy.