A Labour politician pushing for a cap on the amount of land anyone can own claims rural communities have been “blighted” for centuries.
Dundee-based Mercedes Villalba is touring islands over four days next week as she prepares to open a public consultation on her plans.
Her proposed Land Justice Bill would place a legal limit on how many acres of land the rich can own.
Residents would legally be able to acquire countryside through community buy-out schemes.
The land could then be managed by publicly-owned community trusts or cooperatives, giving locals a say in how it is used.
Ms Villalba will take in Mull and Colonsay, both in Argyll, as she meets with conservation, wildlife and housing groups.
Huge tracts of countryside in Scotland are currently owned by a small collection of people.
The Scottish Government wants to make land ownership in Scotland fairer and more transparent, but Ms Villalba says their plans do not go far enough.
The Labour MSP insisted the SNP had “consistently failed” to address “gross inequalities” on islands.
‘Gross injustice’
Ahead of her tour, she said: “These communities have been blighted for centuries by the gross injustice of having a huge concentration of land in the hands of a small number of extremely wealthy individuals.
“SNP ministers have consistently failed to tackle this deep-rooted and ‘historical wrong’.
“The Scottish Government’s recently launched consultation on so called ‘land reform, does little to get to grips with these gross inequalities.
“It is vague and would leave the privilege of the wealthy landowners intact, at the expense of the rest of Scotland’s Islands’ communities.”
SNP land reform minister Mairi McAllan warned earlier this month “radical” action was needed to stop a new Highland Clearances.
She highlighted the “risk” of international corporations and individuals buying up swathes of land for their benefit.
Concerns have been raised over so-called “green lairds” who buy up acres of land to try and boost their environmental credentials.
Ailsa Raeburn, chair of Community Land Scotland, said: “We strongly believe that there should be a limit on the total amount of land in Scotland that can be owned or controlled by a private individual or business.”
Ms McAllan said she will tackle the impact of concentrated landownership.
“This summer we are consulting on a wide range of proposals for our ambitious new Land Reform Bill, which will be introduced by the end of 2023.
“The Bill is a significant step forward in ensuring our land is owned and used in the public interest and to the benefit of the people of Scotland. It will be both ambitious and deliverable.”
A series of “town hall” meetings will begin next week, at the same time as Ms Villalba tours the islands.
Conversation