The charity organisation’s call is one of six asks detailed in Community Land Scotland’s Perth Declaration 2024, which presents a collective vision for a flourishing Scotland through community ownership by 2034.

Community Land Scotland development manager, Linsay Chalmers, said: “Our members are very clear that they want to see people – particularly young people – have a ‘right to live’ in their communities.

“Many of the places where our members are based have plenty of jobs – and young people who want to stay and contribute – but there is nowhere affordable for them to live.

“This is decimating communities and leaving young people with little choice but to move away.

“Many community landowners are building affordable housing at the moment but it can be a huge task for community organisations with voluntary boards to take on in their spare time. The housing crisis is not something they can solve on their own. 

“A right to live would mean that the Scottish Government would have to take a more strategic and creative approach to policy and legislation to ensuring that young people could stay in communities.”

The new declaration is backed by Community Land Scotland members and the organisation has said it will work with allied organisations, the public sector and Scottish Government to create the cultural, financial and policy environment to deliver the declaration.

The Perth declaration asks that the “Scottish Government acknowledges the Right to Live in Your Community. This can be supported by a National Community Wealth Fund to fund community housing projects. Alongside legislative levers to free up land for housing through the lotting mechanisms and Sites of Community Significance in the Land Reform Bill.”

The other five targets in the declaration are:

• Secure diversified revenue streams to ensure financial stability with the ownership of assets at the heart of community-led organisations.
• Community engagement between community landowners and their communities is purposeful, tailored, timely and continuous.
• Land reform to address wealth imbalances.
• A Scottish Community Wealth Fund from renewable energy development provides resource-deprived communities with income-generating assets.
• An inclusive and enabling environment for high quality apprenticeships and jobs is created.

Community Land Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament to acknowledge the importance of the six areas of work outlined in the Perth Declaration.

The organisation will use the Land Reform Bill, the review of Community Right to Buy and the Community Wealth Building Bill as vehicles to advance change in Scotland’s land ownership system.