uplands – Hinterland

‘Abuse of power’ over Scottish land ownership

Ivan Annibal — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 08:00:29 +0000

This is a Scottish story but it raises some very interesting questions about the balance of power in rural communities in a number of particularly upland communities in England. It seems to me that land ownership and land usage are inextricably linked rather than distinct as implied by the spokesperson at the end of this piece.

Large concentrations of land ownership are leading to power being abused in some parts of Scotland, according to a report by the Scottish Land Commission.

Its investigation said a “land monopoly” in effect existed in many areas.

The report also said the law provided very little protection.

Scottish Land and Estates, which represents land owners, said the report did not adequately reflect the contribution made by rural businesses.

The commission’s report calls for a public interest test for future land sales.

More than 400 people gave evidence to the investigation, including land owners, land managers and community representatives and individuals.

The report found that most of the disadvantages from Scotland’s current pattern of land ownership related to a concentration of decision-making power.

It said that in some parts, that hampered economic development and caused serious and long-term harm to communities.

It added that there was an “urgent need” for mechanisms to protect fragile communities from the “irresponsible exercise of power”.

The commission makes a series of recommendations including:

A public interest test for significant land transfers
The requirement for a land management plan for estates
A statutory land rights and responsibilities review.

The report and recommendations will now be considered by ministers.

Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land and Estates, said: “We are deeply concerned that the report still sees land ownership rather than land use as the prime route to dealing with issues being faced by communities. Nor does the report adequately reflect the positive and substantial contribution made by rural businesses.

Commoners shell-shocked by MoD ‘land-grab’ plan

Ivan Annibal — Wed, 10 May 2017 19:44:44 +0000

My friend Adrian Banford introduced me sometime ago to the fascinating and little understood world of the commoner. This story shows how the valuable contribution they make to our upland environments is under threat. It tells us:

A Ministry of Defence proposal to acquire three large upland commons in Cumbria would bring an end to hundreds of years of traditional hill farming, farm leaders have warned.

The MoD has applied to Cumbria County Council to deregister 4,500ha of common land to use for training army personnel.

The threatened commons are Hilton, Murton and Warcop fells, which are situated to the north-east of Appleby-in-Westmorland, in the North Pennines area of outstanding Natural Beauty, and amount to 3% of Cumbria’s common land.

Vicar’s JCB road trip benefits farming charities

Ivan Annibal — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 19:53:22 +0000

Richard who is national rural lead for the Church of Wales is one our rural heroes. This article profiles his innovative fund raising approach involving a big tractor and 650 miles of Welsh countryside – however the coverage he achieved has allowed him to get some other interesting facts about rural isolation on the radar. Read on:

Rev Kirlew is not your typical vicar. He was ordained late in life – in Wells Cathedral in 2005 after a working life that included a spell in the ambulance service and running a classic car storage business. “I had been fighting off ordination for a number of years, but I was eventually collared in the true sense of the word,” he jokes.

He is a regular visitor to livestock markets and believes they’re a vital social link for the farming community. “They are an opportunity for farmers to meet up and chew over the fat. When I visit, I notice they are always absolute hubs of chatter, places where people can share their concerns or seek advice from others over a cup of tea.”

He recognises that isolation is becoming more of an issue, as more farmers’ wives seek employment off-farm to supplement the family income. “Isolation is more of a problem in Wales because we have a high concentration of small hill farms which tend to be run by one person.”

His rural parish has a high volume of second homes and, in years gone by, his congregation would be swelled by city dwellers spending the weekend in the country. But in the last 12 months he has noticed a worrying trend, which he believes has been sparked by the high cost of fuel. “We don’t see nearly as many of these visitors any longer. Those that I have spoken to are finding it too expensive to drive here,” he said.

Many of these issues are equally relevant to some upland communities close to our heart in England. What can our separate nations learn from each other about potential solutions to our common challenges in terms of marginal upland farming?

Remote villages to get broadband thanks to new £20 million fund

Ivan Annibal — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 20:52:52 +0000

This article in the Daily Telegraph explains how the government’s Supporting Sustainable Upland Communities strategy sets out a number of plans to address these problems including £6 million extra funding every year to help small farmers survive and payments for ‘ecosystem’ services such as clean rivers and green energy like wind turbines.

A key policy is eliminating internet ‘not spots’, including a new Community Broadband Fund of £20 million to help small villages and hamlets get connected. The money is additional to the £530 million that has already been announced to help the UK achieve the fastest broadband speeds in Europe by 2015.

If this all comes off it will be fantastic – who’s holding their breath?