Crown Estate Scotland facts for kids
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| Public corporation overview | |
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| Formed | 1 April 2017 |
| Preceding Public corporation | |
| Jurisdiction | Scotland |
| Headquarters | Quartermile Two, 2, Lister Square, Edinburgh, EH3 9GL |
| Minister responsible |
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| Public corporation executive |
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Crown Estate Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Oighreachd a' Chrùin Alba) is a special company owned by the Scottish Government. It manages land and property in Scotland that belongs to the King or Queen. This property is owned by the monarch "in right of the Crown". This means it's not their private money or land. They can't sell it for themselves.
Crown Estate Scotland was created in 2017. It took over from the main Crown Estate of the United Kingdom. Its main goal is to invest in land, natural resources, and places. This helps create lasting value for the people of Scotland. Any money left over after managing the properties goes to the Scottish Consolidated Fund. This fund helps pay for the Scottish Government's work.
The company earns most of its money from renting out its properties. These include places used for offshore wind farms, farming, tourism, and fish farming. Crown Estate Scotland is one of the biggest property managers in Scotland. In 2022, its assets were worth over £568 million. This includes more than 35,565 hectares (about 87,880 acres) of land in rural Scotland. Much of this land is rented out for farming or homes.
The estate also owns a lot of coastal and sea areas. This includes almost all of the seabed up to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) from the coast. It also has rights to rent out seabed for renewable energy and gas storage up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) offshore. Nearly half of Scotland's foreshore (the area between high and low tide) is also managed by them. Crown Estate Scotland works with the Scottish Government and local communities. Their aim is to make Scotland a better place for everyone.
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History of Crown Estate Scotland
The land and rights managed by Crown Estate Scotland have a long history. They once belonged to the Scottish Kings and Queens. Later, they became part of the property of the British monarch in Scotland.
In 1790, King George III gave up his claim to the income from Crown estates in England. In return, he received a yearly payment from the government. The income from Scottish estates stayed with the monarch until 1830. Then, under King William IV, these incomes were transferred to government bodies. These holdings included old church lands and royal properties. Most of the current Scottish estate, like Glenlivet Estate, was bought later.
After the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) wanted Scotland to control the Crown Estate income. This is called devolution. After the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, there were more calls for Scotland to have more powers. The Smith Commission was set up to look into this. In November 2014, they suggested that Scotland should manage the Crown Estate's assets and income.
A new law, the Scotland Act 2016, was passed in March 2016. This law allowed the management and income of Crown Estate assets in Scotland to be transferred. Crown Estate Scotland was officially set up on April 1, 2017. Before this, the main Crown Estate owned a large part of the Fort Kinnaird shopping park. This part was not given to Crown Estate Scotland. Instead, the Crown Estate sold it later and bought another retail park in England.
In January 2022, Crown Estate Scotland held an important event called "ScotWind". This was an auction where companies could bid for rights to build offshore wind farms. 74 companies applied for rights in 17 areas of the seabed. This auction raised almost £700 million for the Scottish Government. The sites could produce over 24 gigawatts of electricity. Crown Estate Scotland believes these projects will bring in £1.5 billion for Scottish businesses.
What Crown Estate Scotland Manages
Crown Estate Scotland is in charge of managing many different types of assets:
- 35,565 hectares of rural land. This includes farms, homes, businesses, and forests. These are spread across four main estates: Glenlivet, Fochabers, Applegirth, and Whitehill.
- Rights to fish for salmon and sea trout in many Scottish rivers.
- About half of the foreshore around Scotland. This includes 5,800 places for boats to moor, and some ports and harbours.
- Renting out almost all of the seabed up to 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) from the coast. This includes about 750 fish farming sites and agreements with companies for cables and pipelines.
- The rights to develop offshore renewable energy (like wind farms) and store gas or carbon dioxide. These rights extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) from the coast.
- Mineral rights for naturally occurring gold and silver across most of Scotland.
- Shops and offices at 39-41 George Street in Edinburgh.
Sometimes, very large whales found dead or stranded in Scottish waters are called "royal fish". The King or Queen has the first claim to these. However, since 1999, the Scottish Government's Marine Directorate handles this right. So, royal fish do not become the property of Crown Estate Scotland.
How Crown Estate Scotland is Managed
Crown Estate Scotland is a public corporation of the Scottish Government. This means it's like a business, but it's controlled by the government. It has a board of members and a chair. These people are chosen by government ministers. Board members usually serve for two or three years. They cannot serve for more than eight years in total.
The board chooses a Chief Executive. This person is in charge of the daily running of the company. They report to both the Scottish Parliament and the board. As of September 2022, the Chief Executive was Ronan O'Hara.
See also
