Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2015

4 Derelict and Urban Vacant Land: Location and Trends

4.1 Table 1 shows that in 2015 there were 12,674 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land, of which 82% was classified as derelict (10,365 hectares). Six councils (East Ayrshire, Highland, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Glasgow City and Renfrewshire) together contain more than two thirds of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land.

4.2 3,851 sites were recorded in the 2015 survey. The nineteen largest sites (all over 100 hectares each) collectively account for 36% of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land. Those sites (all of which are derelict) include ten of the former opencast coal sites in East Ayrshire (1,945 hectares in total), the former Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton, Renfrewshire (666 hectares), Fearn and Fendom Airfields (collectively 681 hectares) as well as Ardersier Port (255 hectares) in Highland, two sites in North Ayrshire (553 hectares), a former munitions site and airfield in Dumfries & Galloway (collectively 309 hectares) and the former Ravenscraig site in North Lanarkshire (144 hectares). As an aside, the 200-hectare former airbase at Edzell, Aberdeenshire appears in this bulletin, but only in annex B, given that it is a vacant site in a small settlement.

Table 1: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land by local authority area, 2015 ¹

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. As a percentage of the total vacant/derelict land recorded in Scotland.
3. From 2011 LLTNP took responsibility for surveying vacant and derelict land within the park boundaries. These sites are no longer recorded in Argyll & Bute, Perth & Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire local authority boundaries, and are separately identifiable as LLTNP from 2011. Prior to 2011, these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.

4.3 The distribution of derelict and urban vacant land located within Scotland's National Parks is shown in Table 2. This shows that there are 47 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land located within National Parks (19 hectares in Cairngorms and 28 hectares in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs). Cairngorms National Park ( CNP) intersects parts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Highland, Moray and Perth & Kinross local authorities. Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park ( LLTNP) intersects parts of Argyll & Bute, Perth & Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

Table 2: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within Scotland's National Parks, 2015 ¹

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. As a percentage of the total vacant/derelict land recorded in Scotland's National Parks.

4.4 The distribution of derelict and urban vacant land located within Scotland's Strategic Development Plan ( SDP) areas is shown in Table 3. This shows that there are 6,382 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land located within Strategic Development Plan Areas (67% in Glasgow & Clyde Valley and 24% in SESplan SDP areas).

Table 3: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within Scotland's Strategic Development Plan Areas, 2015 ¹

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. As a percentage of the total vacant/derelict land recorded in Scotland's Strategic Development Plan Areas.

4.5 The SDP areas comprise:

• Aberdeen City and Shire Strategic Development Plan Areas ( Aberdeen City and Shire SDP area): Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire local authority areas (except the part of Aberdeenshire that forms part of CNP).
• Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Development Plan area ( Glasgow & Clyde Valley SDP area): East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow City, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire local authority areas (except the part of West Dunbartonshire that forms part of LLTNP).
• Edinburgh and South East Scotland Strategic Development Plan area ( SESplan area): City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian and Fife (Kirkcaldy, Mid-Fife and Dunfermline local planning areas only) local authority areas.
• Dundee, Perth, Angus and North Fife Strategic Development Plan area ( TAYplan area): Angus (except the part of Angus that forms part of CNP), Dundee City, Perth & Kinross (except the part of Perth & Kinross that forms part of LLTNP) and Fife (St. Andrews and North Fife local planning areas only) local authority areas.

4.6 More information about SDP areas is available from Planning Circular 3/08 on the Scottish Government website.

4.7 Table 4 shows the area of recorded derelict and urban vacant land for the years 2009-2015. It should be noted that a small number of councils did not participate in every survey during those years. In these cases, the previous years' data is rolled forward until new data becomes available. Details of participation in the survey is available in annex A.14.

4.8 The period covered by the most recent survey showed a net decrease of 458 hectares in Scotland's total amount of derelict and urban vacant land, from 13,132 hectares in 2014 to 12,674 hectares in 2015. The decrease was largely due to the reduction in size recorded by Fife for the former opencast site at Kinglassie (from 305 hectares in previous years down to 97 hectares for 2015). This follows an increase of 2,090 hectares in derelict and urban vacant land recorded between 2013 and 2014. The large increase can be explained by the addition of 2,217 hectares (23 sites) of former opencast coal sites in East Ayrshire. Excluding derelict mineral sites there has been a decrease of 643 hectares (7%) in the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land since 2009.

4.9 Overall, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land in Scotland has shown a net increase of 10% since 2009 (from 11,530 hectares in 2009 to 12,674 hectares in 2015). This net change is caused by the rehabilitation and reuse of some sites and others becoming vacant or derelict, illustrated by the figures in Tables 17 and 21. In addition, there are some changes in the areas of several existing sites. Excluding derelict mineral sites, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land has decreased from 9,148 hectares in 2013 to 9,064 hectares in 2014 (1% decrease from 2013) and to 8,906 hectares in 2015 (2% decrease from 2014).

4.10 The change in the recorded amount of derelict and urban vacant land during 2009 to 2015 is much more varied by council. 22 councils had decreases in levels of recorded derelict and urban vacant land, including Moray (down 44%), Aberdeen City (down 37%), Shetland and West Lothian (both down 33%) and Midlothian (down 30%). Ten councils have recorded more derelict and urban vacant land in 2015 than they did in 2009, this includes East Ayrshire with almost eight times as much recorded derelict and urban vacant land in 2015 as in 2009. Percentage changes for some councils are volatile due to there being only a small base of recorded land in 2009

4.11 From 2011 urban vacant and derelict land within Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority ( LLTNP) is separately identified. Previously sites within the national park boundaries were recorded within the relevant local authority boundary. Therefore the amount of vacant and derelict land within Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire local authorities for 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 is not directly comparable with that for years prior to this.

Table 4: Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land by local authority area, 2009-2015 ^1,2,3

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years.
3. During 2015, historical data for the years 2009-2014 were revised to remove sites that had been taken out of the survey for definitional reasons and to correct any revisions to the data highlighted in the 2015 survey returns. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with un-amended historical data for the survey years of 1996-2008.
4. From 2011 LLTNP took responsibility for surveying vacant and derelict land within the park boundaries. These sites are no longer recorded in Argyll & Bute, Perth & Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire local authority boundaries, and are separately identifiable as LLTNP from 2011. Prior to 2011, these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.
5. Previous SVDLS bulletins have used different base years for percentage change and so these percentages should not be compared with those in previous bulletins.