Lands Tribunal for Scotland

The Lands Tribunal for Scotland is a civil court with jurisdiction over certain matters relating to land and property in Scotland.^[1] The Tribunal was established under the Lands Tribunal Act 1949, which also created the separate Lands Tribunal in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.^[2]

Although the statutory basis of the Lands Tribunal for Scotland was the Lands Tribunal Act 1949, the Tribunal itself was not actually created until 1971, as there was not considered a sufficient amount of work to be undertaken.^[3] The Conveyancing and Feudal Reform (Scotland) Act 1970 gave the Lands Tribunal new powers to discharge title conditions, which prompted its actual establishment in March 1971.^[3] The Tribunal is based in George House, on George Street in Edinburgh.

Aims and Purposes

The Lands Tribunal for Scotland specifies that the main areas of work are:

• the discharge or variation of title conditions
• tenants’ rights to purchase their public sector houses
• disputed compensation for compulsory purchase of land or loss in value of land caused by public works
• valuations for rating on non-domestic premises
• appeals against the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland
• appeals about valuation of land on pre-emptive purchase
• voluntary or joint references in which the Tribunal acts as arbiter.

Composition

The Tribunal is currently composed of a President and three other members. The number and appointment of posts is determined by the Lord President of the Court of Session under Section 2 of the Lands Tribunal Act 1949. The first President of the Tribunal, Walter Elliott, was appointed Chairman of the Scottish Land Court in 1978, and since then both offices have been held together, although the courts remain separate. The President of the Lands Tribunal is not accorded membership of the College of Justice (and subsequently the judicial title, Lord) by virtue of this position but through Chairmanship of the Land Court. The Tribunal should also contain members legally qualified with experience as an advocate or solicitor, and those experienced in the valuation of land, who are to be appointed by the Lord President after consulting the Scottish Chairman of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

The current members of the Tribunal are:

• Roderick John MacLeod QC, Lord Minginish (President)
• Ralph A Smith QC
• Douglas Gillespie FRICS
• Andrew Oswald FRICS

Presidents of the Lands Tribunal

• 1971 - 1992: Archie Elliott, Lord Elliott
• 1993 - 1996: Alexander Philip, Lord Philip
• 1996 – 2014: James McGhie, Lord McGhie
• 2014 - present: Roderick John MacLeod, Lord Minginish

See also

• Lands Tribunal
• Lands Tribunal for Northern Ireland
• Scottish Land Court

References

External links

• The Lands Tribunal for Scotland