Swinney promises new property information hub

A land and property information hub for Scotland is to be developed, enabling comprehensive information to be obtained from a single enquiry, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has announced.

Mr Swinney was speaking at a conference on the merits of such a system, based on the Norwegian model. When complete it could include information such as school catchment areas, mining reports, flood risks and crime statistics, as well as data that people often look for when making property decisions.

The Keeper of the Registers of Scotland, Sheenagh Adams, will lead a task force to develop an online system that deliver on this aim.

Developing the system will involve providing access to the data contained across a wide range of sources. This will remove the current costs and barriers sometimes involved with searching for land and property information.

The Keeper has already started to contact organisations such as the Scottish Government, Ordnance Survey and Scottish Natural Heritage to invite them to work with Registers on the project, which has been tasked with reporting back to the Deputy First Minister in July.

Ms Adams said: "The creation of a land and property information system for Scotland is an exciting development that fits with our current project of completing the Land Register. Not only will this system make our economy more efficient, but it will reduce both the risks and costs of doing business.

"We've already seen the benefits of such a system in countries like Norway, which is ranked number five on the World Bank's 'ease of doing business' survey in relation to registering property. I believe that we can do the same, and that Scotland can become an exemplar of joined-up thinking and digital provision."