Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2017

4 Derelict and Urban Vacant Land: Location and Trends

4.1 Table 1 shows that in 2017 there were 11,649 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land, of which 82% was classified as derelict (9,574 hectares). Five councils (East Ayrshire, Highland, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Glasgow City) together contain just under two thirds of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land.

4.2 3,641 sites were recorded in the 2017 survey. The seventeen largest sites (all over 100 hectares each) collectively account for 31% of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land. Those sites (all of which are derelict) include nine of the former opencast coal sites in East Ayrshire (1,747 hectares in total), Fearn and Fendom Airfields (collectively 681 hectares) and Ardersier Port (255 hectares) in Highland, two sites in North Ayrshire (553 hectares), a former airfield in Dumfries & Galloway (185 hectares), the former Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton, Renfrewshire (115 hectares), and the former Ravenscraig site in North Lanarkshire (115 hectares).

In addition, the 170-hectare former airbase at Edzell, Aberdeenshire is a vacant site in a small settlement (see Annex B).

Table 1: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land by local authority area, 2017 ^[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. Data for Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.

4.3 There are 48 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land located within Scotland’s National Parks with 58% (28 hectares) in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and 42% (20 hectares) in Cairngorms (Table 2).

Table 2: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within Scotland’s National Parks, 2017 ^[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 There are 5,492 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land located within Scotland’s Strategic Development Plan ( SDP) areas (Table 3) with almost two thirds, 64%, in Glasgow & Clyde Valley.

Table 3: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within Scotland’s Strategic Development Plan Areas, 2017 ^[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.

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 ( Clydeplan 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.

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

4.5 Table 4 shows the area of recorded derelict and urban vacant land for the years 2011-2017. 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. Highland and West Lothian did not update their data in 2017 or 2016 and so data for these local authorities is carried over from 2015 in this report. Details of participation in the survey is available in annex A.14.

4.6 The period covered by the most recent survey showed a net decrease of 844 hectares (6%) in Scotland’s total amount of derelict and urban vacant land, from 12,493 hectares in 2016 to 11,649 hectares in 2017. This follows a decrease of 253 hectares in derelict and urban vacant land recorded in 2016.

4.7 Overall, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land in Scotland has shown a net increase of 2% since 2011 (from 11,391 hectares in 2011 to 11,649 hectares in 2017). 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 & 18. In addition, there have been changes in the areas of existing sites while other sites have become naturalised. Excluding derelict mineral sites, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land has decreased from 9,484 hectares in 2011 to 8,091 hectares in 2017 (15% decrease).

4.8 The change in the recorded amount of derelict and urban vacant land during 2011 to 2017 varies by council. 24 councils had decreases in levels of recorded derelict and urban vacant land, including Renfrewshire (down 72%), Midlothian (down 57%) and Dumfries and Galloway (down 35%). Eight councils have recorded more derelict and urban vacant land in 2017 than they did in 2011, this includes East Ayrshire with more than six times as much recorded derelict and urban vacant land in 2017 as in 2011 and Clackmannanshire and Argyll and Bute both with more than double the area recorded for 2011. Percentage changes for some councils are volatile due to there being only a small base of recorded land in 2011.

4.9 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 onwards is not directly comparable with that for years prior to this.

Table 4: Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land by local authority area, 2011-2017 ^[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 2017, historical data for the years 2011-2016 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 2017 survey returns. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with un-amended historical data for the survey years of 1996-2010.
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.
6. 2017 data for Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.