Enforcement of crofting regulations should be in the hands of a network of locally elected boards, the committee said, and the Commission's development role should be handed to a new crofting and community development body within Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

An improved crofter housing grant and loan scheme, more help for new entrants to crofting, an enhanced role for grazings committees, measures to ensure active use of crofts, and a residency requirement for all croft houses are among the other recommendations made in the report, presented to Environment Minister Michael Russell in Stornoway on Monday.

Mr Russell welcomed it as "the most significant report on crofting for the past half century". The Scottish Crofting Foundation also gave the report a warm welcome and said it had been "well worth the wait".

The committee has taken a year to examine the current shape of crofting in Scotland and to develop its vision of a sustainable future for generations of crofters to come.

Its chairman, Professor Mark Shucksmith, said: "Our aim has been to consider the best way of addressing current issues and building for the future so that the economic, social, environmental and cultural benefits of crofting can be enjoyed by those living in rural Scotland, and indeed the rest of the country.

"Responsibility for strengthening crofting and its contribution is shared by crofters, crofting communities, government and non-government organisations. A key theme of our recommendations is empowering crofting communities, through the right mix of support, to take ownership and responsibility for their future.

"Our proposals are far reaching and will require significant commitment and investment for changes in legislation, governance, procedures and practice. Crofting has already made a significant contribution to life in Scotland and it offers an internationally unique and valuable approach to sustainable rural development.

"We firmly believe that these changes are necessary if crofting is to remain an important and viable part of our society."

The report will now be considered by Scottish Ministers who are expected to give their response later this summer.

Prof Shucksmith, Professor of Planning at Newcastle University, added: "Our recommendations are based on solid evidence and we hope that many, if not all, of our proposals will be carefully considered and implemented for the good of crofting and rural communities."

The Committee of Inquiry on Crofting was set up by the previous Labour/Lib-Dem government at Holyrood to identify a vision for the future of crofting, particularly in relation to sustaining and enhancing the population, improving economic vitality, safeguarding landscape and biodiversity and sustaining cultural diversity. It held its first meeting in May 2007.

Members of the committee included Becky Shaw of Golspie, land use programme manager with the Scottish Crofting Foundation.

Environment Minister Michael Russell said: "The committee was asked to consult widely and to report back to Government with radical ideas on shaping the future of crofting. This is precisely what they have done and I congratulate them for it.

"One of our priorities in Government is to support and develop rural communities. Crofting makes a unique and significant contribution to remote rural areas. Crofting delivers environmental benefits and has a pivotal role in the cultural landscape of the Highlands and Islands that is famous across the world.

"But crofting does not exist in global isolation and in safeguarding this heritage we must also ensure that it offers a viable and fulfilling way of life for future generations.

"The Government will now consider the recommendations of the report carefully and begin its work on a response. I look forward to debating the issues in Parliament later this week."

Chairman of the Scottish Crofting Foundation (SCF), Neil MacLeod, said: "We have waited a long time for this and it has been well worth the wait. Professor Shucksmith and his committee are to be congratulated on producing such a thorough and radical report at this crucial time.

"The report echoes many of the policy initiatives pursued by SCF over the last few years, such as on Less Favoured Area support, crofter housing, assistance for younger new entrants, strengthening and simplifying regulation and democratising the regulatory process.

"An inquiry such as this only takes place perhaps once in a generation, so we are very pleased to see that the committee has fully recognised the social, economic and environmental importance of crofting, and we look forward to legislation being brought forward to enact their proposals."

SCF chief executive Patrick Krause added: "This report is a vindication of our call for an inquiry and is a faithful reflection of the views of the many crofters who turned out to the public meetings held up and down the country.

"Almost unanimously, these crofters spoke out in favour of the values of crofting as a system that places community interest ahead of personal gain. As we said in our Charter for Crofting, 'It's about the people – making sure they can live here'. That has been the inquiry's approach too, and we are especially impressed with its emphasis on opportunities for young people."

editor@northern-times.co.uk

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