Prepare a croft plan

This guidance covers the preparation of plans for registration in the Crofting Register.

An application to register a croft, common grazings or land held runrig in the Crofting Register must be accompanied by a description of the subjects that is sufficient to enable the keeper to identify the subjects and plot them on to the Crofting Register Ordnance Survey (OS) map. Typically this requirement will mean that a plan must accompany any application for first registration for a croft and common grazing.

If you already have an existing plan that meets our criteria, you don't need to draw up a new plan.

This guide has been created to explain our requirements for plans, ensuring that they are acceptable for the purposes of registration. It provides guidance on how plans should be drawn up and illustrates examples of best practice to be adopted when preparing plans for the Crofting Register.

View a version of this guide in Gaelic (PDF, 28MB)

We are not seeking to explain the techniques of mapping or the tools or resources necessary to adequately measure boundaries and plot those boundaries on to a plan. A person submitting an application to the Crofting Register must determine whether or not they have the skills necessary to accurately prepare a plan for registration. There is no requirement for a crofter to engage a surveyor, architect or other professional to prepare a plan, the only requirement is that the plan must meet our criteria for acceptability. Factors that are important in assessing whether or not you will be able to accurately draw up a plan include the complexity of the boundary position, access to measuring tools and your own confidence.

It is critical that the plan is accurate, as the plan will form the basis of the entry for the croft in the Crofting Register. Upon registration the Crofting Commission will notify a range of parties (including landlords and any adjacent crofts) as to the description and extent of the subjects in the Crofting Register. Parties then have nine months in which to raise a challenge to the description, extent and any other aspects of the registration if they consider they have grounds to do so. Challenges will be heard in the Scottish Land Court. It is in the interests of all parties that the scope for challenge is minimised; challenges will involve all parties, including the person who submitted the application for registration, in cost and inconvenience. We therefore recommend that you consult with your neighbours when preparing a plan for registration.

Order an OS map extract

We can supply you with an OS map extract to help you get started with your plan.

OS map extracts come at an appropriate scale for registration, and include sufficient surrounding detail to accurately fix the location of the croft.

Find out more about OS map extracts.

Key requirements

Your plan must:

• be presented on a single sheet of paper
• be at a scale relevant to the scale of Ordnance Survey – for example 1:1250, 1:12,500 or 1:10,000
• display both the scale and orientation or compass point
• contain enough surrounding detail, such as road junctions and buildings, for us to fix its location with accuracy
• clearly show the boundaries of the croft, with measurements where a boundary deviates from existing features on the Ordnance Survey
• contain references for apportionments, resumptions and decrofted areas if you do not have copies of original orders

References on any new plan(s) submitted in support of the crofting application must be clearly identifiable.