Conservation covenants

The Law Commission has called for landowners to be given greater powers to ensure the conservation of land, forests, habitats and historic buildings over the long-term. In a report published this week, Conservation Covenants, it recommends a new statutory scheme for conservation covenants. These are private, voluntary agreements between a landowner and a conservation organisation, which enable the landowner to pass on their property in the knowledge that its special features will continue to be protected. Such agreements are used in Scotland, the US and Australia.