Meditations on Strathclyde: Controlling Private Land Use Restrictions at the Crossroads of Legal Systems

Syracuse Journal of International Law & Commerce, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2008

42 Pages Posted: 19 Aug 2008 Last revised: 4 Sep 2015

See all articles by John A. Lovett

John A. Lovett

Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Students

Date Written: August 17, 2008

Abstract

This article presents a comparative study of a pivotal case decided by the Lands Tribunal of Scotland, Strathclyde Joint Police Board v. The Elderslie Estates Ltd. The decision exemplifies how Scotland, one of the world's leading mixed jurisdictions, addresses several fundamental property law issues. Should landowners be allowed to impose restrictions on the use of land that bind future owners in perpetuity? Should courts have any power to modify or terminate those land use restrictions if the passage of time appears to undermine their initial purpose and utility? Does the application of the European Convention on Human Rights change how a court must protect fundamental property rights? This comparative case study sheds light on how Scotland has answered all these questions, reflects on the costs and benefits of its solutions, and contrasts the Scottish approach with typical approaches under American law. The Lands Tribunal's decision, the article also argues, demonstrates a powerful communitarian conception of property in Scottish law, one that has continued to surface even after the formal abolition of Scottish feudalism in 2004 and that differs substantially from the market based conception of property reigning in the United States today.

Keywords: Property, Comparative Law, Mixed Jurisdictions, Title Conditions, Property Theory, Scotland

JEL Classification: K11, K33

Suggested Citation

Lovett, John A., Meditations on Strathclyde: Controlling Private Land Use Restrictions at the Crossroads of Legal Systems (August 17, 2008). Syracuse Journal of International Law & Commerce, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1232254

John A. Lovett (Contact Author)

Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Students ( email )

Baton Rouge, LA
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
91
Abstract Views
933
Rank
509,542
PlumX Metrics