Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2017

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


9 Derelict and Urban Vacant Land: Previous Uses and Other Characteristics

9.1 This section focuses on what the previous uses were for derelict and urban vacant land before it fell out of use. Information is also provided on how long derelict and urban vacant land has lain out of use and how developable that land is.

9.2 In previous surveys local authorities were asked to indicate up to three preferred future uses for sites as defined in the most recent local plan or other approved local authority planning policy documents. After consultation with relevant stakeholders it was agreed that these data would no longer be collected. Therefore from the 2013 bulletin onwards there is no analysis of future use provided.

9.3 The previous uses of derelict and urban vacant sites are shown in Table 12. Former agricultural land should only be included if it is characterised by specific unsightliness or neglect. However, local authorities have explained that in some instances former agricultural land is released for development and is then classed as vacant where either the land is prepared for development or development starts on the land.

9.4 The previous use was unknown for 617 hectares of land recorded in 2017 - 323 hectares (3%) of derelict land and 294 hectares (14%) of urban vacant land. For those sites where the previous use is known, 38% of derelict land recorded in 2017 had previously been used for mineral activity (3,559 hectares), 21% for manufacturing (1,922 hectares) and a further 14% for defence (1,260 hectares). For urban vacant land, where previous use is known, the largest area had former residential uses (17%, 302 hectares) and the second largest had agricultural uses (16%, 279 hectares).

9.5 Where the length of time a site has lain unused was known, 34% (1,718 hectares) of urban vacant or derelict land within settlements and 31% (2,131 hectares) of derelict land within the countryside had been unused since before 1991 (Tables 13 and 14). Taken as a whole, 33% (3,849 hectares) of all urban vacant and derelict land across Scotland has been lying unused for at least 25 years. There is a large degree of variation at council level for how long vacant and derelict land has been unused.

Table 12: Previous uses of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land, 2017 [1]

Previous Use Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area) No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area) No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total V&D Land (by Area) No. of Sites
Agriculture 190 2 113 279 16 121 469 4 234
Business Class 4 * 6 7 * 11 12 * 17
Community & Health 632 7 133 82 5 70 715 6 203
Defence 1,260 14 41 34 2 22 1,294 12 63
Education 130 1 90 210 12 142 340 3 232
Forestry/Woodland 17 * 11 15 1 6 32 * 17
Green/Environmental 1 * 1 - - - 1 * 1
Manufacturing 1,922 21 297 263 15 119 2,184 20 416
Mineral Activity 3,559 38 250 27 1 13 3,585 32 263
Nature Conservation 8 * 1 - - - 8 * 1
Offices 10 * 16 12 1 21 22 * 37
Other General Industry [2] 460 5 136 110 6 107 569 5 243
Passive Open Space 25 * 15 56 3 43 81 1 58
Prepared Ground 30 * 12 85 5 28 116 1 40
Recreation & Leisure [3] 105 1 75 53 3 65 159 1 140
Residential 155 2 212 302 17 374 457 4 586
Retailing 13 * 43 39 2 55 52 * 98
Storage 177 2 78 50 3 49 227 2 127
Transport 229 2 132 72 4 72 301 3 204
Utility Services 161 2 34 7 * 13 168 2 47
Wholesale Distribution 11 * 9 18 1 9 29 * 18
Other 151 2 81 60 3 63 211 2 144
% of categorised sites   100     100     100  
Unknown [4] 323 - 167 294 - 285 617 - 452
Total 9,574   1,953 2,075   1,688 11,649   3,641

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding
2. Excluding manufacturing
3. Excluding passive open space
4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentages

Table 13: Sites in Settlements: Date when Urban Vacant or Derelict Land was first identified, by local authority area, 2017 [1,2,3]

Local Authority Pre-1991 1991-1995 1996-2000 2001-2005 2006-2010 2011-2017 Unknown4 Total
Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) Area (ha)
Aberdeen City 4 17 - - 2 8 3 13 2 7 14 55 9 35
Aberdeenshire 1 2 2 5 1 3 4 11 8 22 20 57 31 66
Angus 5 8 6 9 4 6 31 48 11 16 9 13 3 69
Argyll & Bute [5] 7 45 - - - - - - 4 25 4 29 13 28
Clackmannanshire 3 10 - - - - 6 19 1 3 19 67 - 29
Dumfries & Galloway 32 57 - - 2 3 9 17 11 19 2 4 40 96
Dundee City 35 19 9 5 33 19 27 15 34 19 41 23 3 182
East Ayrshire 51 44 20 18 2 2 20 17 13 11 9 8 29 144
East Dunbartonshire 19 47 8 19 1 1 2 4 - - 11 28 - 40
East Lothian 1 4 - - 2 5 1 2 6 20 20 68 6 36
East Renfrewshire 8 16 15 31 1 2 16 32 2 4 7 15 - 49
Edinburgh, City of 11 9 * * 22 18 9 7 52 42 30 24 52 177
Falkirk 34 16 13 6 3 2 92 45 16 8 48 23 23 229
Fife 85 27 21 7 75 24 88 28 24 8 19 6 8 320
Glasgow City 431 42 120 12 130 13 100 10 172 17 81 8 - 1,033
Highland [6] 173 78 13 6 14 6 15 7 4 2 3 2 17 240
Inverclyde 21 14 3 2 21 14 10 6 24 15 76 49 * 156
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs [5] 10 40 - - - - 16 60 * * - - 2 28
Midlothian 33 80 2 6 2 5 4 9 - - * 1 * 41
Moray - - - - - - 8 52 - - 7 48 - 15
Na h-Eileanan Siar 1 31 2 61 * 4 * 4 - - - - 6 9
North Ayrshire 207 39 52 10 91 17 85 16 86 16 14 3 5 539
North Lanarkshire 201 22 337 36 42 5 27 3 215 23 107 11 3 932
Orkney Islands 3 100 - - - - - - - - - - - 3
Perth & Kinross [5] 3 9 * 1 2 5 8 25 12 36 8 23 3 35
Renfrewshire 45 29 8 5 19 12 22 14 58 37 5 3 - 156
Scottish Borders 4 31 2 19 - - - - 2 20 4 30 44 56
Shetland Islands - - - - - - * 100 - - - - 1 1
South Ayrshire 56 66 3 3 9 10 3 4 13 15 2 3 17 103
South Lanarkshire 80 36 11 5 6 3 17 8 45 20 61 28 39 260
Stirling [5] 1 3 - - 7 25 1 3 12 46 6 22 11 37
West Dunbartonshire [5] 78 47 28 17 8 5 28 17 7 4 15 9 1 165
West Lothian [6] 74 71 - - * * 15 14 14 13 2 2 70 175
Scotland 1,718 34 675 13 499 10 666 13 846 17 645 13 434 5,483

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. Figures are for total vacant land in settlements of 2,000 and over and derelict land in all settlements. Settlements as defined by local authorities in their latest council approved local plans (see Annex Section A.5).
3. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years.
4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.
5. 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.
6. 2017 data for Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.

Table 14: Sites in the Countryside: Date when Derelict Land was first identified, by local authority area, 2017 [1,2,3]

Local Authority Pre-1991 1991-1995 1996-2000 2001-2005 2006-2010 2011-2017 Unknown [4] Total
Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) Area (ha)
Aberdeen City - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Aberdeenshire 13 100 - - - - - - - - - - * 13
Angus 45 61 1 1 2 2 - - 18 24 9 12 1 75
Argyll & Bute [5] - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 29
Clackmannanshire - - - - - - - - - - 36 100 - 36
Dumfries & Galloway 223 100 - - - - - - * * - - * 224
Dundee City - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
East Ayrshire 122 6 1 * - - - - - - 2,083 94 50 2,257
East Dunbartonshire 9 32 6 22 - - 2 9 - - 10 36 9 36
East Lothian 11 23 2 4 14 31 - - 19 42 - - 5 51
East Renfrewshire - - 2 100 - - - - - - - - - 2
Edinburgh, City of - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 2
Falkirk 28 64 - - 3 7 7 16 6 13 * 1 12 57
Fife 129 41 - - 73 23 73 23 40 13 1 * 17 332
Glasgow City 23 65 12 32 1 3 - - - - - - - 36
Highland [6] 725 67 18 2 64 6 256 24 23 2 - - 16 1,102
Inverclyde - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs [5] - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Midlothian 44 61 - - 26 36 - - 2 3 - - 4 76
Moray - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Na h-Eileanan Siar - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
North Ayrshire 42 5 32 4 19 2 635 80 67 8 - - 1 796
North Lanarkshire 102 29 1 * 26 7 16 5 6 2 198 57 1 350
Orkney Islands 35 100 - - - - - - - - - - - 35
Perth & Kinross [5] - - - - - - 3 41 2 26 2 33 1 7
Renfrewshire - - - - 115 99 - - - - 2 1 - 116
Scottish Borders 6 100 - - - - - - - - - - 9 15
Shetland Islands 3 100 - - - - - - - - - - 2 6
South Ayrshire - - - - - - - - - - 1 100 2 2
South Lanarkshire 85 63 9 6 * * 35 26 5 4 - - 28 162
Stirling [5] 109 98 * * 2 1 - - * * - - 1 112
West Dunbartonshire [5] - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
West Lothian [6] 129 56 32 14 - - 69 30 - - - - 7 238
Scotland 2,131 31 155 2 858 13 1,094 16 186 3 2,347 35 197 6,166

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. Figures are for derelict land in the countryside.
3. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years
4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.
5. 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.
6. 2017 data Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.

9.6 Table 15 shows the development potential of derelict and urban vacant land as reported by Local Authorities, based on their expectation of when land is likely to be developed. 21% of all derelict land within Scotland (with known development potential) is estimated to be developed in the short term, compared to 47% of all urban vacant land with known development potential. The higher proportion of urban vacant land estimated to be developed in the short term, compared to derelict land, is not surprising given derelict land (by definition) requires some form of rehabilitation before new development can commence. Overall, 25% of all derelict and urban vacant land within Scotland (with known development potential) has been estimated to be developed in the short term. Across Scotland, 32% of derelict land and 3% of urban vacant land is seen by local authorities as being uneconomic to develop and/or is viewed as suitable to reclaim for a ‘soft’ end use (i.e. non-built use).

Table 15: Development Potential of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land, 2017 [1]

Development Potential Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area) No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area) No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total Land (by Area) No. of Sites
Developable - Short Term [2] 1,778 21 473 908 47 664 2,685 25 1,137
Developable - Medium Term [3] 2,466 28 481 686 35 577 3,152 30 1,058
Developable - Undetermined 1,684 19 576 304 16 298 1,987 19 874
Uneconomic to Develop/Reclamation for 'Soft' End Use 2,734 32 216 50 3 52 2,784 26 268
Percentage of categorised sites   100     100     100  
Unknown [4] 913 - 207 128 - 97 1,041 - 304
Total 9,574   1,953 2,075   1,688 11,649   3,641

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. Expectation of development within five years.
3. Expectation of development between five to ten years.
4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.

9.7 In 2017, a majority of all derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership had a single private owner (72% 7,685 hectares). 22% (2,398 hectares) of derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership had a single public owner. The remaining 6% of derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership is split 4% (414 hectares) mixed public and private ownership, 1% (106 hectares) multiple private owners and 1% (76 hectares) multiple public owners. Of the 11,649 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land recorded in 2017, 8% (971 hectares) has ownership unknown to the local authority (Table 16).

Table 16: Ownership of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land, 2017 1

Ownership Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area) No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area) No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total Land (by Area) No. of Sites
Single Owner: Public 1,517 17 441 881 48 736 2,398 22 1,177
Single Owner: Private 6,896 78 1,061 789 43 654 7,685 72 1,715
Multiple Owners: Public 53 1 26 23 1 21 76 1 47
Multiple Owners: Private 74 1 29 32 2 18 106 1 47
Mixed Owners 304 3 76 110 6 57 414 4 133
Percentage of categorised sites   100     100     100  
Single Owner: Unknown [2] 728 0 319 241 0 201 969 0 520
Multiple Owner: Unknown [2] 2   1 0   1 2   2
Total 9,574   1,953 2,075   1,688 11,649   3,641

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.

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