Outdoor Access

People in Scotland now enjoy statutory rights of access to most land and inland water since the introduction of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

 

These rights must be exercised responsibly by respecting the privacy, safety and livelihood of others as well as caring for the environment.

Similarly, land managers are obliged to manage their land and water responsibly in by respecting access rights.

These new access rights are working well in Aberdeenshire but occasionally situations arise where people think these rights are not being respected or are not being exercised responsibly.

Often this is because people don't understand what their rights and responsibilities are under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. Usually these situations can be resolved once people have a better understanding of the new legislation.

Sometimes problems are more complex and in these situations the Council has a statutory duty and associated powers to uphold access rights under the Act.