Key Messages from the 2024 Scottish Agritourism conference
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Scottish Agritourism Conference in Perth as an exhibitor with Thorntons. Prior to becoming a…
Land and Rural Business
Unpacking The Autumn Budget: Our Legal Experts Analyse What Legislative and Tax Changes Could Mean for You
Following weeks of speculation the 2024 Autumn Budget has been announced. In what is one of the largest tax rising budgets in history…
The Perfect Storm? How the Upcoming Budget and Legislative Changes Will Impact Rural Landowners
The Scottish agricultural sector is potentially facing one of the biggest shifts in legislative and budgetary frameworks in a generation.…
Navigating the Future of Residential Development in Scotland: Opportunities and Challenges with Heat Networks
Many large landowners have the potential for residential development on their land, either as a build to let or build to sell project.…
The Housing (Scotland) Bill - A balancing act of Landlord and Tenant rights?
One of the biggest problems facing rural communities in Scotland, is a shortage of affordable housing. The lack of available housing,…
Is your land suitable for a wind farm and battery storage project?
The last nine months has seen a huge increase in the number of inquiries made to farmers and rural land owners from developers seeking to…
Land Ownership in Scotland | New Offences for failure to Register
As we enter the New Year, many people may have set themselves resolutions for how they want to better themselves in the months to follow.…
Opportunities for landowners amid Network Rail electrification project
By not seeking legal advice, many landowners could be missing out on financial and other incentives, explains Thorntons land and rural…
The Renewables Green Rush
As we slowly edge closer to the Scottish Government’s target of net zero by 2045, the question of how we will continue to power the country…
The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
The Scottish Government has now unveiled their highly anticipated Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill.
The Bill seeks to…
Tree Felling Permissions in Scotland
You may have seen recently in the news that a 300 year old tree has been cut down at Hadrian’s Wall. The tree, which has been made famous…
Wild Swimming and Outdoor Access Rights – The Perfect Storm?
Although further boosted by the pandemic, outdoor swimming and other water based activities have increased in popularity in recent years,…
Managing Public Access Rights
The 'right to roam' has been in the news again recently, with the decision by the Inner House of the Court of Session in a case where an…
Life is a picnic this July
Happy National Picnic Month! Across the UK, we have recently experienced some amazing weather, making it a perfect time to grab your tartan…
Mountain Biking and Taming the Wild Trails
Mountain biking has gained traction in Scotland, with its popularity seemingly climbing steeply overnight. This has been noticed by…
Summer Safety: Wildfires and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code
Wildfires in Scotland may once have seemed a remote possibility, however they have in recent years become a reality and in the last week,…
Protecting livestock
Spring is in the air and with holidays now in mind, people will be preparing to flock to the Scottish countryside, many of whom with their…
Food, Drink and Agriculture Update: Change is coming
Farmers and producers are facing challenges on all fronts when it comes to food and drink production. Perhaps the biggest issue is…
The Clarkson Effect
Love him or loathe him, this week saw the return of Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon Prime. Having already seen the rather unlikely face of…
National Planning Framework 4 gives new support to rural and agricultural communities
The National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) which was adopted by the Scottish Ministers on 13 February 2023 sets out national planning policy…
Don’t get your fingers burned: follow the Muirburn Code
A highland Crofter who was recently convicted of Muirburn offences, caused damage to eight acres of land because he did not take due care…