Over the past 100 years very little privately owned land has been put up for sale. And at least 25 per cent of estates in excess of 1,000 acres have been held by the same families for more than 400 years.In the agriculturally barren Highlands, many estates are still operated under a legal regime that terms owners as “superiors” and crofters as “vassals”. Landlords regulate land use and impose charges for any alterations at a whim.For centuries, landowners have been able to buy and sell their estates without any consideration for the views or welfare of the small businesses, crofters and tenants of their fiefdoms. In addition, vast areas of the privately owned countryside is fenced off, barring the public from some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.The Scottish Parliament, unfettered by the House of Lords, where peers were certain to block reform, spent four years drawing up the legislation.It covers three key areas – land access, the right of crofting communities to buy the land they live and work on at any time, and the opportunity for local communities to have first-refusal on any estates that come on the market.The first part of the Bill deals with land access.

Under the legislation, land managers will have to provide easy access for the public, except where potentially hazardous activities such as woodland operations and deer management are taking place.This will be backed up by rules that operate in a similar way to the Highway Code. In return the public is expected not to damage crops and to walk round people’s homes to ensure privacy. Many landowners fear the legislation means they will be liable for injuries incurred by walkers while on their estates and that increased access will result in damage to their business interests.Among them is the millionaire Peter de Savary who says his Highland estate at Skibo castle in Sutherland, which hosted the reception for Madonna’s wedding to Guy Ritchie, would lose its appeal if its privacy were compromised. If the land is sold in breach of the legislation to another buyer, the community can insist on purchasing it from the new owner for up to 10 years.But the most contentious part of the Bill is the legislation regarding crofting community ownership.

“These estate owners invest huge sums of money in running these properties and create jobs throughout the Highlands. If small communities of crofters are allowed to take control, where are they going to find the money needed to invest in the conservation of these places?”A study by the Highlands and Islands Rivers Association claimed that last year more than £2.5m of investment by river owners was withheld because of uncertainty over the pending Bill.The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors estimated land values could fall by up to 50 per cent if landowners are forced to split up their estates.Bill Aitken, a Tory MSP and home affairs spokesman, said yesterday: “This is a land grab of which Robert Mugabe would be proud. This Bill has nothing to do with land reform, and everything to do with the other parties in this Parliament being obsessed by replaying the class wars of 200 years ago.”. A gunman was shot dead by police after threatening to open fire on officers in Bedfordshire yesterday. The police officer who fired the shot will not be identified and is being supported by the force’s welfare department.The A6 was closed while forensic scientists made a full examination of the scene.. Anti-terrorist measures at some airports and ports are being undermined because commercial companies are refusing to give police room to run their investigations, a government inspection has found.