The Scottish Government has opened a consultation on proposed secondary legislation and guidance to implement community engagement obligations under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025. The consultation seeks views on measures to improve transparency and community involvement in the management of large landholdings, including those exceeding 1,000 hectares. The proposals address requirements for landowners to prepare publicly available land management plans, engage with local communities and respond to reasonable requests from community bodies to lease land or establish crofts. The consultation also considers the content and review of land management plans, compliance and enforcement arrangements and draft guidance to help landowners determine whether their land falls within the scope of the legislation. The consultation closes on 26 January 2027.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on new draft statutory guidance, designed to assist public bodies in implementing their climate change duties under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 (CC(S)A 2009). This updated guidance, which will replace the 2011 version, provides frameworks for public bodies to fulfill their three main duties: reducing emissions, contributing to the delivery of the Scottish National Adaptation Plan, and operating sustainably. It also includes a framework for reporting on climate action and progress towards targets and outcomes. Additionally, the guidance introduces two new templates: a Carbon Management Plan template designed for smaller public bodies with limited resources, and a Climate Change Plan template for local authorities to demonstrate compliance across their operational boundaries. The consultation closes on 23 May 2025.

The Scottish Government has published a consultation which proposes to prohibit the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland. This consultation builds on previous consultations on creating a smoke-free generation and tackling youth vaping which ran from October—December 2023 and the draft Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 which ran from February—March 2024. This final consultation invites feedback on the implementation of the ban and draft impact assessments, including a Strategic Environmental Assessment. The deadline to provide responses is 14 May 2024.

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on the draft Energy Efficiency (Domestic Private Rented Property) (Scotland) Regulations, which would require all private rented sector (PRS) properties to meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Heat Retention Rating of band C. The regulations, proposed under existing powers in the Energy Act 2011 (EnA 2011), would apply to new tenancies from 2028 and to all privately rented homes by the end of 2033. Properties that do not meet the minimum standard cannot be let out until the landlord makes the necessary energy efficiency improvements. The draft regulations also outline several exemptions, including those related to consent, negative impacts on the property’s fabric or structure, cost caps, and temporary exemptions. The consultation closes on 29 August 2025, with the regulations expected to be laid before the Scottish Parliament in early 2026 and come into force in 2028.

The Scottish Government has established a Ministerial Working Group (MWG) following the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report on 4 September 2024. The report focused on the physical condition of Grenfell Tower with evidence heard on several modules including the primary refurbishment (overview and cladding), cladding products, internal active and passive fire safety measures, and building management. The MWG will examine and review the Phase 2 report, ensuring that the government takes appropriate action to address the Inquiry's findings and recommendations and thereafter, publish a response.

The Scottish Government has published the response to its consultation on determining principles for a Scottish equivalent to the Passivhaus standard, with the aim of amending building regulations. The consultation, which closed in July 2024, sought views on proposed components for design and compliance, current standards, and a delivery programme. This initiative follows a review of energy standards within building regulations initiated in 2023. The Scottish Government's response will be published in two parts, with the first focusing on regulatory changes to improve energy efficiency, thermal performance, and compliance assurance in new buildings. A second document, due in early 2025, will outline ongoing actions beyond the confirmed regulatory amendments.

The Scottish Government has heard a report by the ‘Climate Change People’s Panel’, stating that the government must do more to engage the public on climate change and Scotland’s targets. Holyrood’s Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee (NZETC) set up the panel of 23 members of the public to review a public engagement strategy for climate change, as mandated by the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. The panel’s report concluded that the government has not communicated effectively with the public on climate change, with inconsistency in education, evaluation, and the allocation of funding. Panellists unanimously recommended that climate change should exist as a compulsory subject in schools, that longer-term funding should be provided to climate hubs, and that there should be a legal obligation on all local authorities to co-create climate policy. The report’s 18 recommendations will be presented by panellists to the NZETC on 16 April 2024.

The Scottish Government has implemented changes to the New Build Heat Standard (NBHS) as of 1 January 2025, following a review and parliamentary process. The updated regulations now permit the installation of bioenergy heating systems, such as wood burners, and peat-burning systems in all new homes and buildings. This change extends to existing buildings undergoing conversion that fall under the NBHS's purview. Additionally, the amendments allow for any type of secondary heating in new buildings. However, the core principle of the NBHS remains intact, prohibiting the use of fossil fuel gas and oil boilers as primary heating systems in new-build properties. These modifications aim to balance climate-friendly heating requirements with a broader range of heating options, whilst maintaining the overarching goal of reducing carbon emissions from building heating systems.

The Scottish Government has introduced the Non-Domestic Rates (Liability for Unoccupied Properties) (Scotland) Bill to correct a legislative error in the Non-Domestic Rates (Scotland) Act 2020, which unintentionally removed the legal basis for charging non-domestic rates on unoccupied properties from 1 April 2023. The proposed legislation will retrospectively reinstate councils’ authority to levy such rates, ensuring the law reflects the Scottish Parliament’s original intention to devolve responsibility for Empty Property Relief to local authorities.

The Scottish Government has introduced the Housing (Scotland) Bill. This legislation aims to keep people in their homes and prevent homelessness. These changes cover protections for tenants, preventing homelessness, and other housing matters. The Bill was introduced on 26 March 2024.

The Scottish Government has introduced the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill to Parliament. If passed, the Bill would mandate Ministers to set legally binding nature restoration targets, establish powers to allow for future amendments to Environmental Impact Assessment legislation and the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations 1994, SI 1994/2716, and modernise the aims of National Parks and the powers of National Park authorities. In addition, the Bill proposes reforms to deer management regulations, including repealing the licensing of venison dealing and amending NatureScot's intervention powers. It also includes measures to protect biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions.

The Scottish Government has issued the Dispensation of Building Regulations (Automatic Fire Suppression Systems) (Scotland) Direction 2024, effective from 25 November 2024. This Direction identifies specific circumstances where the requirement for automatic fire suppression systems (AFSS) under Building Standard 2.15 is dispensed with for certain dwelling extensions and conversions. It applies to the construction of ground storey extensions to social housing dwellings, flats or maisonettes, and building conversions that create or increase dwelling areas. However, the Direction does not apply to buildings with existing AFSS, those exceeding 18 metres in height, or conversions that create more than one additional dwelling.