Landowners and Occupiers

Why do we engage with Landowners and Occupiers

We recognise landowners and occupiers as essential stakeholders in the development and operation of our projects and infrastructure. We engage with them to identify who controls the land, understand and address any potential impacts this may have on their properties and businesses, and to secure the necessary consents for construction and operation.

…Which also unlocks wider societal benefits: providing greater insights into their personal and business interests and priorities, as well as their broader industry perspectives in areas like agriculture, forestry, renewables, and other land uses. Effective engagement helps to achieve mutual understanding and acceptable outcomes, paving the way for agreements that support proactive project development with less dependence on statutory powers

Our commitments

We develop formalised partnerships that deliver mutual benefits:
Our dedicated team of land managers build partnerships through two-way communication, ensuring mutual understanding of needs between us and landowners and occupiers.

We proactively collect and listen to feedback and insights from landowners and occupiers to inform our decision making, strategies and plans:
We consult to gather feedback on our plans and actions, ensuring minimal impact on their interests while achieving our goals. We also inform them about land rights acquisition processes and our potential obligations when using statutory powers.

We inform what actions can be taken to mitigate and repair impacts:
While we aim to minimise impacts on landowners and occupiers, some effects on their property or business are unavoidable. We discuss practical solutions and carry out assessments to mitigate against these impacts.

We intend to make our commitments real, through our: 

Relationship owners: Our team of experienced land managers understand landowner needs and effectively communicate these to our project teams and the wider business whilst overseeing on our commitments.

Guidance: Our ‘Working with Landowners’ webpage offers guidance documents detailing our commitment to land right grantors, statutory processes, and protocols for working with landowners

Collaboration with industry groups: We collaborate with industry groups like the National Farmers’ Union Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, and the Central Association for Agricultural Valuers to address industry concerns and adopt fair approaches.

External advice: We collaborate with external advisors like valuers, agricultural consultants, and planners to ensure fair actions and informed assessments

What success looks like