Judith Duffy, Reporter
CONTROL over the revenue and management of Crown Estate resources in
Scotland has been transferred to the Scottish Government.
The transfer, which formally took place yesterday, is part of the changes
contained in the 2016 Scotland Act.
It means ministers at Holyrood now have control over thousands of hectares
of rural land, around half of Scotland’s foreshore and leasing the seabed
for rights to renewable energy.
The assets were worth a total of £271.8 million in 2015/16 and generated a
gross annual revenue of £14m.
The Scottish Government said the transfer will give communities a stronger
voice over how those assets are managed.
Land reform secretary Roseanna Cunningham described it as a “historic day”.
She added: “The management and resources of the Crown Estate now rest with
the people of Scotland and we have a genuine, once in a lifetime
opportunity, to use them to change the fabric of Scottish society, placing
the needs of local and coastal communities at the centre of our long-term
planning for these considerable assets.
“From today, decisions about both the day-to-day management and the future
of the estate will be taken in Scotland.”
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