Compulsory Purchase Orders

With an increasing number of major public projects underway, such as the dualling of the A9 and A96, many rural landowners are being faced with the prospect of compulsory purchase.

For major projects, there is usually an ongoing programme of public consultation events and if you are worried that your property might be at risk of compulsory purchase at some stage in the future, make sure you attend the relevant public exhibitions and drop in events and take the opportunity to raise your concerns with the project team and ask for more information about the likely impact on your property. Engaging at an early stage can be beneficial and may bring an issue to the attention of the project team which might otherwise be overlooked.

Additional information is often available online. Transport Scotland publishes the design drawings and draft orders for all of its major projects on its website.

If you have received letters or notices that state that your property is likely to be affected, it is essential to make sure you have a full understanding of the proposals. A land agent with experience in compulsory purchase work can help you and we can suggest some agents with suitable experience. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us and we can give you some early advice about your options.

It is far better to consider your options before you receive a notice that a Compulsory Purchase Order ("CPO") is being made since at that stage you may be able to get amendments to the design or proposals made which minimise the impact on your land or business.

It can be both daunting and confusing to receive formal notification that your land, or even home, may be subject to a CPO.

The notices advising that a CPO is to be made are often accompanied by other formal notifications for side orders relating to road closures. Road closures can include...