A daily newspaper has revived an award-winning collaboration with an investigative journalism platform to publish the findings of a probe that has been months in the making.

Glasgow-based daily The Herald ran a series of pieces under the umbrella titles of ‘Who Owns Urban Scotland’ in partnership with The Ferret.

The series, the result of “months of investigative work”, takes a look at who owns Scotland’s cities, towns, high streets and cultural institutions.

It is the fifth such time the two titles have collaborated on projects together, with last year’s ‘Who Runs Scotland’ probe leading to them jointly winning Journalism Team of the year at the 43rd Scottish Press Awards.

Catherine Salmond, editor of The Herald, said: “Who Owns Urban Scotland will answer many of the questions that surround our cities and how they are planned.

“The future of our high streets and our urban areas is a key issue as we see an increasing number of vacant properties, derelict and run-down sites and debates over how these areas are developed. This is an emotive issue, one that matters, and one that this series will get to the heart of.

“Last year’s collaboration with The Ferret team was highly successful, shedding light on the people and organisations who hold a significant influence over many aspects of our lives.

“Who Owns Urban Scotland will have a similar impact, stimulating debate and discussion over who holds the keys to our urban areas and their priorities and motives.”

Billy Briggs, co-founder and editor of The Ferret, added: “The Ferret wanted to reveal who owns Scotland’s towns and cities, and our team of journalists have been working hard on this project for several months.

“We examine the firms behind our high streets, shopping centres, culture and vital parts of Scotland’s infrastructure, as well as those controlling vacant land and derelict properties.

“Our aim was to make the series informative, thought-provoking and insightful, but we also hope this is a prompt for debate and discussion. We’re looking forward to seeing how readers interpret our findings.”