Compulsory Purchase Reform in Scotland

Feedback updated 26 Aug 2026

We asked

We asked for views on the reform of compulsory purchase legislation. The existing legislation is old, complex and fragmented, which means that authorities are often reluctant to use it. We published a consultation paper with detailed proposals to modernise both procedures and compensation rules, to make the system simpler, more streamlined and fairer to all parties.

The consultation paper also included a number of high-level questions on the possibility of introducing Compulsory Sale Orders (CSO) and Compulsory Lease Orders (CLO).

You said

We received a total of 107 responses, from organisations and individuals with a wide range of interests. There was strong support for the vast majority of proposals on compulsory purchase reform. The majority of respondents expressed support for the principle of CSO, although a significant minority were strongly opposed to them and/or questioned the need for them. Support for CLO appears to be less well defined, with concerns about the complexity involved and uncertainty of the added value.

We did

We have published:

The update confirms that the Scottish Government will move forward with proposed measures to reform and modernise Scotland’s compulsory purchase system, with a view to implementing the changes in this Parliament. The case for introducing CSO and CLO will be further explored, drawing on the evidence gathered through the consultation.

Published responses

View submitted responses where consent has been given to publish the response.

Closed 19 Dec 2025

Opened 19 Sep 2025

Contact

CPO.Reform@gov.scot

Overview

The Scottish Government wants compulsory purchase to fulfil its potential as a tool for delivering projects in the public interest – one that encourages authorities to make positive and proactive use of their powers, including in partnership with third parties. We want to reform the system to make it simpler, more streamlined and fairer for all parties.

Our consultation on compulsory purchase reform, which ran from October to December 2025, sought views on a package of options and proposals that would provide for a comprehensive reform and modernisation of Scotland's compulsory purchase system to make it fit for the 21st century. 

Read the consultation paper 

What happens next

The consultation is now closed. We are very grateful to everyone who took the time to read and respond to the consultation paper, which we recognise was a lengthy and technical document. We are currently analysing the feedback received and a summary of responses will be published in due course. Our blog post of 19 February 2026 provides further information about timings and next steps. If you have any questions please get in touch at CPO.Reform@gov.scot.

Published responses can be viewed above. Please note that where people responded outwith Citizen Space (e.g. by email or post), their responses have been uploaded as a PDF attachment. Answers to questions on compulsory sale and lease orders have been manually entered into the questionnaire to support the analysis of those questions, which is being carried out separately. 

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