Most people will have breathed a huge sigh of relief when they awoke on 19 September. The No vote in the Scottish independence referendum means that the UK remains intact, and the myriad uncertainties that a Yes would have brought have been avoided.

However, this isn’t the end of the matter for those living in Scotland. The SNP government still intends to introduce sweeping reforms to land ownership and agricultural holdings, which are set to have a huge impact on landowners north of the border. Robin Maitland, Land Management Partner in Strutt & Parker’s Banchory office, shares his thoughts on this vital issue on page 16.

Independence of another sort was on the agenda at this year’s CLA Game Fair. Strutt & Parker hosted the CLA Game Fair Theatre over a sweltering July weekend, and it was a full house for our debate on the British countryside’s role in the EU. What followed was a discussion as heated as the weather – see what our illustrious panellists had to say on page 24.

Elsewhere in this issue, we visit the Bawdsey Estate in Suffolk to show how a ‘back to basics’ approach to estate management has paid dividends over the years (page 10), explain how landlords can enhance the energy efficiency of their cottage portfolios and why now is the time to do it (page 18), and tackle the thorny topic of succession (page 22).

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Read the full Land Business Winter 2014/2015.