Scottish Greens call on the Scottish Government to tax owners of derelict land

Too much potential building land on Arran stands empty while the owners build up ‘land banks’, waiting for house values to increase. At the same time many island folk cannot find anywhere affordable to live. Now the Scottish Greens are launching a new campaign as part of the push for radical land reform. With the Land Reform Bill going through Holyrood at the moment it’s absolutely crucial that maximum pressure is put on MSPs to enact real change, and the first focus is on derelict land.

Scotland is facing a housing crisis. Too many people pay far too much for their homes and the cost of renting keeps going up. Yet wealthy developers are holding on to derelict land that could be used to build hundreds of thousands of new homes.

Owners of derelict land are currently exempt from paying tax on it. That means they can hold on to it for years without paying a penny, while elsewhere, the cost of land keeps going up, pushing house prices and rents ever higher.

Scottish Greens want to get the best use out of land, including the 11,000 hectares of vacant and derelict land, sitting unused in Scotland today. They are calling on the Scottish Government to tax owners of derelict land and use the taxes raised to build the extra housing that Scotland desperately needs.

The Scottish Parliament will be scrutinizing the Land Reform Bill at its second stage. The Green MSPs will be submitting an amendment to the Bill,that would bring derelict and vacant land into the Valuation Roll. The Voice for Arran gives its support for this amendment.

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