Andy Wightman

Latest articles from Andy Wightman

comment Andy Wightman: Land reform can tackle the symptoms but ignore the causes

I RECENTLY enjoyed a few days exploring Glen Affric in blustery but sunny conditions and is a place I have always loved visiting. It contains some of the most significant remnants of Caledonian pinewood and over the past 60 years the native forests in the glen have been regenerating and expanding thanks to the enlightened leadership the late FC forester Finlay Macrae and, since the 1990’s, the efforts of the Trees for Life charity. In 2002, the glen was designated as a National Nature Reserve.

LAND DETECTIVE Andy Wightman, Land Detective: The derelict Scottish land left neglected for decades

A NUMBER of readers have been in touch with queries about the ownership of plots of land and, in particular, of vacant and derelict land. According to the latest statistics, there are around 3500 sites totalling almost 11,000 hectares of such land across Scotland. Around one-third of this land has been vacant or derelict for decades and they are concentrated in some of Scotland’s most deprived areas where 55% of residents live within 500m of a derelict site.

COMMENT As this virus highlights ... one size does not fit all

LIKE many other people, I am adjusting to the strange world of Covid-19 lockdown. By nature, politicians tend to be sociable creatures with a predisposition to meeting, talking and debating. The current crisis is disrupting all of that and leading to re-adjusting work arrangement to comply with lockdown regulations, physical distancing and the challenges of working from home.