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Meeting of the Parliament 19 June 2019

19 Jun 2019 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Planning (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3 (Day 2)

Simpson, Graham Con Central Scotland Watch on SPTV

It feels as though I have never been away.

Amendment 112 removes land value capture from the bill. It was introduced by an amendment that I lodged at stage 2. Initially, the bill had no mechanism for capturing any land value uplift. It was a subject that the Local Government and Communities Committee had a close look at and I think that there is general cross-party support for the concept.

However, my stage 2 amendment has raised legal concerns. I have to be honest about that and say that I do not think that there is a place for it in the bill, because there are problems with it. Organisations such as the Scottish Property Federation have called it “premature” and welcomed amendment 112, which removes the provision. Scottish Land & Estates pointed out its possible incompatibility with the European convention on human rights. That point was also raised by the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee, which I convene.

Given the work that is being undertaken by the Scottish Land Commission on land value capture, this bill is not the place for it and I am happy to remove it. On that basis, I will not be supporting amendments 212 and 215, in the name of Alex Rowley.

I move amendment 112.

In the same item of business

The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh) NPA

The next item of business is the continuation of stage 3 proceedings on the Planning (Scotland) Bill. In dealing with the amendments, members should have the...

Graham Simpson (Central Scotland) (Con) Con

It feels as though I have never been away. Amendment 112 removes land value capture from the bill. It was introduced by an amendment that I lodged at stage ...

Alex Rowley (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab) Lab

Amendments 212 and 215 require ministers, within 18 months of the bill receiving royal assent, to lay regulations to facilitate land value capture. Legislati...

Graham Simpson Con

I am not sure whether Alex Rowley was in the chamber when I asked the First Minister about that. She said that there would be a full response to the Scottish...

Alex Rowley Lab

It is interesting that we seem to have a coalition between the Scottish National Party and the Tories to block radical proposals on land reform. I know who t...

Andy Wightman (Lothian) (Green) Green

I welcome Graham Simpson to his new role as spokesperson for the First Minister. Ahead of consideration of the bill at stage 2, I conducted a consultation o...

The Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning (Kevin Stewart) SNP

As I have consistently made clear, we as the Government are interested in the concept of land value capture or sharing and we will explore how land value upl...

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Meeting of the Parliament 19 June 2019

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