Scottish Vacant And Derelict Land Survey 2021

3. Points to note for 2021 survey

3.1 Dundee City and West Lothian have not updated their survey since 2019, their 2021 figures have been carried over from 2019. Annex Table 5 records local authority annual participation in the survey each year since 2015. Glasgow City conducted a partial survey which recorded some sites as re-used, but no new sites were included. The response rates for any given year should be borne in mind when using and interpreting the figures for authorites not making a return and when interpreting Scotland totals.

3.2 During the collection of the 2021 survey data some previous survey returns for the years 2015 to 2020 have been revised to remove sites that have been taken out of the survey for definitional reasons (for example, when new information comes to light such as a presumption about ground contaminants from a previous use has been shown to be incorrect and so the site no longer meets the criteria for vacant or derelict land). In addition, some previous survey returns have also been revised to incorporate updates to underlying data and to add sites identified as having first become derelict or vacant in previous years. This revisions process is carried out so that any time series analysis presented within this bulletin is as accurate as possible. Further information is available in section A.4 of the Annex, along with unrevised historical data for 2000 to 2014.

3.3 The increased use of digital mapping and satellite imagery has resulted in revisions to areas of derelict or urban vacant land recorded in previous years as a result of more accurate boundary mapping. Where this has resulted in a decrease in area this will not be reflected in the area of land listed as re-used or naturalised. Where this has resulted in an increase in area this reflects more accurate recording and not the adding of additional land. These potential changes in area as a result of improved boundary recording should be considered when making any comparisons with areas of derelict and urban vacant land in previous years.