Section 91: Appeals
377.Subsections (1) and (2) provide that the landowner, any person who is a member of the crofting community, any person who has a legally enforceable right relating to the land or interests to which an application relates and anyone invited to give views on an application to exercise the crofting community right to buy in relation to that land or those interests may appeal against the Ministers’ decision to consent to the application, by means of a summary application to the Sheriff.
378.Subsection (3) specifies that the crofting community body may by summary application appeal the refusal of Minister to consent to an application. However, subsection (4) makes it clear that this right does not extend to a decision by Ministers under section 73 upon which of two or more applications to buy the same land they should consent to.
379.Subsection (5) restricts appeals under subsections (1) and (3) to those on a point of law.
380.Subsections (6), (7) and (8) indicate which sheriff has jurisdiction to hear appeals, how the sheriff must dispose of these and that the sheriff’s decision is final.
381.Subsection (9) provides that where the effect of the order by the sheriff is the same as granting the application the order may be made subject to any condition which Ministers could have imposed, and subsection (10) ensures that such an order shall be consistent with any decision or findings by the Scottish Land Court either in respect of additional land or in respect of a question on an application.