Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2017

Data collection survey undertaken to establish the extent and state of vacant and derelict land in Scotland.


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]

Local Authority Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict
and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total V&D Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites
Aberdeen City 13 * 15 22 1 19 35 * 34
Aberdeenshire 45 * 28 35 2 28 80 1 56
Angus 94 1 26 50 2 18 144 1 44
Argyll & Bute [3] 37 * 11 20 1 25 58 * 36
Clackmannanshire 48 * 15 17 1 16 64 1 31
Dumfries & Galloway 301 3 46 18 1 7 320 3 53
Dundee City 14 * 14 168 8 171 182 2 185
East Ayrshire 2,324 24 87 77 4 66 2,401 21 153
East Dunbartonshire 69 1 18 7 * 8 76 1 26
East Lothian 73 1 25 14 1 9 87 1 34
East Renfrewshire 34 * 23 17 1 18 51 * 41
Edinburgh, City of 91 1 25 87 4 53 178 2 78
Falkirk 210 2 46 75 4 38 286 2 84
Fife 551 6 158 101 5 57 652 6 215
Glasgow City 621 6 291 449 22 470 1,069 9 761
Highland4 1,276 13 103 66 3 81 1,342 12 184
Inverclyde 81 1 48 75 4 58 156 1 106
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs [3] 25 * 9 3 * 5 28 * 14
Midlothian 105 1 31 12 1 8 118 1 39
Moray 7 * 8 8 * 12 15 * 20
Na h-Eileanan Siar 1 * 3 8 * 3 9 * 6
North Ayrshire 1,144 12 133 191 9 121 1,335 11 254
North Lanarkshire 1,138 12 403 144 7 92 1,282 11 495
Orkney Islands 39 * 4 - - . 39 * 4
Perth & Kinross [3] 16 * 20 26 1 5 42 * 25
Renfrewshire 173 2 33 99 5 89 272 2 122
Scottish Borders 46 * 57 24 1 17 70 1 74
Shetland Islands 6 * 6 1 * 2 7 * 8
South Ayrshire 81 1 41 24 1 18 105 1 59
South Lanarkshire 306 3 117 116 6 112 422 4 229
Stirling [3] 117 1 12 32 2 27 148 1 39
West Dunbartonshire [3] 149 2 53 16 1 16 165 1 69
West Lothian [4] 341 4 44 72 3 19 413 4 63
Scotland 9574 100 1,953 2,075 100 1,688 11,649 100 3,641

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]

National Park Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total V&D Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites
Cairngorms 13 35 9 7 70 7 20 42 16
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs 25 65 9 3 30 5 28 58 14
Total 38 100 18 10 100 12 48 100 30

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]

Strategic Development Plan Area Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total V&D Land (by Area) [2] No. of Sites
Aberdeen City & Shire 57 1 42 57 4 47 114 2 89
Clydeplan 2,570 65 986 923 60 863 3,493 64 1,849
SESplan 1,157 29 296 305 20 156 1,462 27 452
TAYplan 174 4 103 249 16 201 423 8 304
Total 3,957 100 1,427 1,535 100 1,267 5,492 100 2,694

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]

Local Authority Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land Area (ha) % Change 2011-2017 [5]
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Aberdeen City 50 54 52 46 37 38 35 -30%
Aberdeenshire 81 83 75 71 71 79 80 -2%
Angus 170 173 173 183 164 142 144 -15%
Argyll & Bute [4] 29 34 34 31 59 58 58 100%
Clackmannanshire 29 21 28 36 32 74 64 119%
Dumfries & Galloway 491 492 492 491 463 465 320 -35%
Dundee City 198 187 196 211 215 204 182 -8%
East Ayrshire 335 335 351 2,553 2,541 2,457 2,401 617%
East Dunbartonshire 65 71 66 62 71 77 76 17%
East Lothian 83 65 67 65 86 90 87 5%
East Renfrewshire 54 55 60 60 55 55 51 -6%
Edinburgh, City of 223 211 213 208 184 168 178 -20%
Falkirk 159 159 173 187 200 246 286 79%
Fife 872 853 859 864 654 650 652 -25%
Glasgow City 1,305 1,239 1,196 1,171 1,145 1,111 1,069 -18%
Highland [6] 1,455 1,455 1,382 1,373 1,342 1,342 1,342 -8%
Inverclyde 123 141 149 146 163 160 156 26%
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs [4] 35 32 31 31 28 28 28 n/a
Midlothian 272 271 270 216 197 189 118 -57%
Moray 19 17 22 21 15 15 15 -19%
Na h-Eileanan Siar 10 10 10 10 10 9 9 -11%
North Ayrshire 1,353 1,344 1,338 1,345 1,335 1,330 1,335 -1%
North Lanarkshire 1,419 1,373 1,303 1,297 1,262 1,226 1,282 -10%
Orkney Islands 41 41 39 39 39 39 39 -6%
Perth & Kinross [4] 50 50 53 56 56 49 42 -16%
Renfrewshire 956 981 957 927 913 860 272 -72%
Scottish Borders 84 86 82 76 75 75 70 -16%
Shetland Islands 9 8 8 7 6 6 7 -21%
South Ayrshire 97 97 102 101 107 106 105 8%
South Lanarkshire 476 470 475 472 461 411 422 -11%
Stirling [4] 175 177 175 164 163 152 148 -15%
West Dunbartonshire [4] 194 193 188 189 182 171 165 -15%
West Lothian [6] 478 478 478 484 413 413 413 -14%
Scotland 11,391 11,256 11,100 13,192 12,744 12,493 11,649 2%

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.

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