Property law think tank launches new website
A brand new website for lawyers to engage in discussion about the future of land and property has been launched by Unifi Scotland, the Scottish-based think tank chaired by Professor Stewart Brymer.
Unifi, which aims to stimulate debate in the field of land and property to respond to the challenges and opportunities ahead, is concerned that information relating to Scotland’s land and property base "is not being shared as extensively and efficiently as it could be".
A white paper, "The Big Picture", on the website claims that "The time is right for Scotland to take the lead and develop a co-ordinated and pragmatic approach to property and fixed asset information."
It states: Regeneration, taxation, estate management, revenues and benefits, planning, building control and conveyancing all depend upon reliable, accurate and accessible land and property information.
"At least 80% of information in the public sector relates to fixed assets and property – and yet this data is held by a myriad of public bodies, often in multiple sets and to differing standards."
Professor Brymer commented: “It is said that we live in the age of the ‘information society’, but how informed are we when it comes to the conveyancing system? What proportion of the information accumulated by the public and private sectors is readily and conveniently available to the people, organisations and communities who could benefit?
“Unifi Scotland are keen to seen this situation improve and we are working with national and local stakeholders including the Government, Registers of Scotland, Ordnance Survey, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the Council of Mortgage lenders in Scotland to see what can be done. We are also looking at what is being done in other countries, most recently in Norway where there is a dedicated information portal.
“I would encourage anyone that’s interested in Unifi’s work to take a look at our new website and get in touch.”
For more information visit unifiscotland.com/