The Islands Bill which may deliver more powers to Orkney does not cover the Crown Estate. A separate piece of legislation is now making its way through the Scottish Parliament  and your views are being sought on what you think of the Bill.

“A Bill for an Act of the Scottish Parliament to rename Crown Estate Scotland (Interim Management); to make provision about the management of the Scottish Crown Estate; and for connected purposes.” Scottish Crown Estate Bill

The Crown Estate

“The Crown Estate is a collection of property, rights and interests owned by Her Majesty in right of the Crown. “

It is managed by the Crown Estate Commissioners.

The Crown owns out to 12 nautical miles of the seabed except where this has been transferred to a third party. It also owns 50% of the 18,000 km length of Scotland’s foreshore with the exception of areas owned under Udal law or by a third party. In addition as a landowner it has 37,000 hectares.

If enacted the Bill will allow local communities more control over the management of the Crown Estate.

The 3 Islands Authorities were all of the view that management and revenue from the Crown Estate should all be devolved to the islands.

The Bill states that the ownership of the Crown Estate is  “Her Majesty” and as such management  “does not own the assets, but the revenue from the Scottish Crown Estate is to be paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund”.

“Discussions are continuing with the three island councils on a possible pilot of local management of some or all of Scottish Crown Estate assets. While no final decisions have been taken, it is anticipated that pilots will assist the Scottish Ministers in reaching final decisions on implementation of the Bill as soon as possible.” Policy Memorandum

Graeme Dey MSP, Convener of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee , said:

“The Crown Estate Bill is hugely significant for Scotland, and it will help to oversee the management of more than £275 million worth of assets across the country.

“Our Committee now wants to hear from the public and stakeholder groups on their thoughts on the proposed Bill. For example, should any additional power or function be included? And are the powers to allow the transfer of the management function appropriate?

“These views will help to shape our work in putting this Bill to the test, and whether or not any changes should be made to ensure Scotland has the best approach to managing our rich and diverse assets.”

The main points the Committee are considering are:

• Does the Bill allow Crown Estate Scotland, or a delegated manager, to 
  appropriately manage the Scottish assets?
• Are the powers to allow the transfer of the management function appropriate?
• Are the managers’ powers and duties as listed in the Bill appropriate?
• Should any additional power or function of the Scottish Crown Estate not 
  currently provided for in the Bill which be included?

Written responses should be provided electronically in MS Word format to: scottishcrownestatebill@parliament.scot

Download: SCEB Written evidence template

A hard copy submission can be sent to—
Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee
Room T3.40
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

The deadline for responses is 12 noon Friday 23 March 2018

When presenting the Bill to the Scottish Parliament on the 24th of January 2018 Roseanna Cunningham, Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform in the Scottish Government said:

Photo Scot Gov

“The Estate consists of a diverse portfolio, including thousands of hectares of rural land, half of Scotland’s foreshore, urban property and seabed leasing rights for activities such as renewable energy. That is why this Bill recognises that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is not practical, laying the foundation for changes in the management of individual assets.

“I believe strongly in maximising the benefits of the Crown Estate for our communities and the country as a whole, while ensuring assets are well maintained and managed, with high standards of openness and accountability.”

Reporter: Fiona Grahame