Case Study

Growing Bonds Between

Land Owners & Communities

© AB Images Scotland

The Community Land Advisory Service (CLAS) has been developed to help combat the lack
of available land for community gardening and associated green space activities. It aims
to make more land available, and to facilitate access to that land, for use by community
gardening and food growing groups across Scotland and the UK. The Service acts as a trusted
intermediary and broker between landowners and community groups and complements,
supports and enhances existing local and regional initiatives.
Context
“CLAS has given us impartial technical
It is increasingly being recognised that green advice and support which has allowed
space, including growing spaces, can be of us to progress with issues concerning
benefit in fostering both physical and mental access to land.”
health, as well as general well-being. Food
Ewan Young, Community Development
growing spaces, in particular, encourage
Officer, Ullapool Development Trust.
physical activity and promote healthy
eating. They may have a positive impact on
communities and the environment and can there are fewer than 250 publicly accessible
bring economic benefits as well. community growing spaces within the CSGN
At a more strategic level, community growing area and there are at least 5,000 people on
improves food security; helping to ensure that Local Authority allotment waiting lists.
people have physical, social and economic
access to sufficient safe and nutritious food to Project Background
meet their dietary needs and food preferences. In 2009, the Department for Environment,
These and other notable drivers have meant Food and Rural Affairs and the Department
that demand for land from the community for Communities and Local Government
sector for food growing and horticultural commissioned the Federation of City Farms
activities has outstripped traditional sources of and Gardens to investigate ways to bring more
supply in recent years. underused land into productive community
For example, recent research indicates that use.

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Growing Bonds Between Land Owners & Communities
 Key Points
• Provision of land for community growing has not kept pace with demand
• This is not necessarily a result of lack of land, more often it is due to lack of understanding
by landowners
• There is also often a lack of knowledge within community groups in how to engage with
landowners on the issue
• CLAS acts a bridge between landowners and community groups, supporting both to
create community growing spaces
• CLAS has had contact with more than 50 community groups and landowners since its
inception in Scotland in July 2011
• To date, CLAS has developed training workshops for community groups and landowners,
reaching out to 20 groups / landowners

Initial research found that often the supply

of land is less of a problem than negotiating
its use on a temporary or long term basis.
Landowners are often cautious about letting
community groups use their land, while
community groups often lack technical skills
and expertise to negotiate with landowners
(eg around leases and other issues, including
planning).
However, there is also widespread goodwill
from landowners to turn unused land over
for cultivation and plenty of enthusiasm from
local communities to find land, not just for
food growing, but also for positive purposes
such as therapy, education and creating
havens for wildlife. The missing link is a trusted
intermediary to broker acceptable tenure
terms and conditions between landowners
and community gardening groups - a role the
CLAS attempts to fill.
What it Does
To avoid duplication of effort, CLAS
complements, supports and enhances
existing local, regional and national initiatives,
including the Development Trust Association
Scotland, Community Ownership Support
Service, Landshare and The Place Station.
In practice, CLAS works in two main ways.
Firstly, at a local level, it provides direct advice
and support to landowners and community
groups in order to secure land access on fair
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terms that meet the needs of both parties.
In a high percentage of cases, CLAS works
with groups who have been unsuccessfully
trying to access land and is able to assist with
unblocking bottlenecks and barriers.
It provides detailed support and assistance to
community groups, including how to negotiate
with landowners, information on leases and the
need for planning, how to deal with objections
to planning applications, how to find owners of
land and how to deal with contaminated land.
A typical example of CLAS work is Lambhill
Stables in Glasgow, who approached CLAS for
help. The Service was able to offer impartial,
technical advice which has contributed to the
development of an action plan to establish
secure longer-term use of the land which
will facilitate funding applications and further
community development and expansion of the

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Growing Bonds Between Land Owners & Communities
 “CLAS provides invaluable strategic
and tactical advice for communities and
landowners.”

Linda Gillespie, Project Manager,

Community Ownership Support Services

to community groups and landowners.

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site.
CLAS has also helped several landowners,
public and private, giving advice on how to
prioritise which land in a portfolio would be
best suited to community use and matching
available land with suitable community groups.
Secondly, CLAS seeks to support community
access to land at a strategic level, both locally
(eg: inputting to local development plans)
and nationally (eg: responding to Scottish
Government consultations on Planning).
The Service has also provided a substantial
body of online information and support,
including a series of FAQs for community
groups seeking land and the issues they may
face, tips on negotiation and information on
leases and planning. It also signposts to other
organisations which can offer help and support
CSGN Support
CLAS emerged from research conducted in
Scotland in 2010-11, funded by the Central
Scotland Green Network, reflecting CSGN’s
desire to increase available growing space
across Central Scotland.
Future
CLAS is continuing to develop its online
information service, including providing a
sample template lease. It is also contributing to
the current policy discussions around planning
reform and the Community Empowerment and
Renewal Bill.
The Service is also preparing a Landowners
Guide for publication later in 2012. This
guide has been researched and prepared in
conjunction with Scottish Land and Estates
and is a response to barriers and issues
identified by landlords to offering land for
community use.

Outcomes

Increased access to community land: More land will be made available for people to use and
enjoy, for growing, relaxing, learning, encouraging wildlife, and community activities

Better health and well-being: From the physical labour involved in cultivation, healthier eating
and improved diets from fresh, seasonal produce, and the convivial, inclusive, therapeutic
community spirit that pervades the community growing sites

Stronger communities: Supports community groups to gain skills and self-confidence for
engaging with landowners and the planning process. This often leads to other projects which
can enrich the local community.

Barriers overcome: Creates opportunities for, and increases trust between, Landowners
and local community groups so they can work together on a mutually beneficial projects.
A significant number of CLAS clients have struggled for months or years to achieve access to
land prior to making progress with CLAS advice.

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Growing Bonds Between Land Owners & Communities
Location
CLAS has worked with groups from 18 local authority areas across Scotland and around 50% of
CLAS clients lie within the CSGN area, which is shown in the map below.

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© Crown Copyright and database right 2012. All rights reserved. 100002151.

Contact
The Scotland CLAS advisors are:
Sheila Hobbs and Morag Angus
0131 225 2080
classcotland@farmgarden.org.uk
www.communitylandadvice.org.uk

Project Partners
CLAS is an impartial collaborative service, project managed by the Federation of City Farms and
Community Gardens. Establishing CLAS was one of the recommendations of the Grow Your Own
Working Group and is working closely with several partners, including Scottish Land and Estates,
Stirling Council and the Community Ownership Support Service. CLAS is currently funded in
Scotland by Scottish Government and M&S.

What is the CSGN?

The CSGN is a national development within the National Planning Framework which aims to make
‘a significant contribution to Scotland’s sustainable economic development’. It involves public
agencies and stakeholders (those with an interest in our work) working together to align their
policies, programmes and actions to achieve a common aim. That aim is to change the face of
Central Scotland by restoring and improving the rural and urban landscape of the area.

Getting in Touch
To discuss this case study please contact: Stephen Hughes, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, Central
Scotland Green Network Support Unit. E-mail: stephen.hughes@centralscotlandgreennetwork.org

For further information on other case studies please visit: www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org

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Growing Bonds Between Land Owners & Communities