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Publication - Statistics

Scottish vacant and derelict land survey 2016

Published
25 April 2017
Part of
Building, planning and design
ISBN
9781786529336

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

This document is part of a collection

View supporting documents Supporting documents

4 Derelict and Urban Vacant Land: Location and Trends

4.1 Table 1 shows that in 2016 there were 12,435 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land, of which 83% was classified as derelict (10,279 hectares). Six councils (East Ayrshire, Highland, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Glasgow City and Renfrewshire) together contain two thirds of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land.

4.2 3,762 sites were recorded in the 2016 survey. The eighteen largest sites (all over 100 hectares each) collectively account for 34% 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 (1,748 hectares in total), the former Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton, Renfrewshire (628 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 (115 hectares). As an aside, the 170-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, 2016 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 15 * 17 20 1 16 36 * 33
Aberdeenshire 37 * 23 42 2 29 79 1 52
Angus 100 1 30 42 2 19 142 1 49
Argyll & Bute 3 37 * 11 21 1 26 58 * 37
Clackmannanshire 54 1 13 15 1 13 69 1 26
Dumfries & Galloway 4 427 4 33 6 * 11 433 3 44
Dundee City 16 * 18 188 9 177 204 2 195
East Ayrshire 2,386 23 99 70 3 63 2,457 20 162
East Dunbartonshire 67 1 17 10 * 11 77 1 28
East Lothian 4 71 1 25 9 * 7 80 1 32
East Renfrewshire 36 * 23 19 1 23 55 * 46
Edinburgh, City of 95 1 31 77 4 40 172 1 71
Falkirk 163 2 46 83 4 45 246 2 91
Fife 551 5 158 99 5 59 650 5 217
Glasgow City 640 6 294 471 22 488 1,111 9 782
Highland 4 1,276 12 103 66 3 81 1,342 11 184
Inverclyde 82 1 42 78 4 75 160 1 117
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs 3 25 * 10 3 * 5 28 * 15
Midlothian 178 2 51 9 * 9 188 2 60
Moray 7 * 8 8 * 11 15 * 19
Na h-Eileanan Siar 1 * 3 8 * 3 9 * 6
North Ayrshire 1,124 11 133 207 10 127 1,330 11 260
North Lanarkshire 1,078 10 394 144 7 91 1,222 10 485
Orkney Islands 39 * 4 - - - 39 * 4
Perth & Kinross 3 19 * 24 18 1 6 38 * 30
Renfrewshire 708 7 41 152 7 124 860 7 165
Scottish Borders 49 * 60 26 1 21 75 1 81
Shetland Islands 5 * 6 1 * 2 6 * 8
South Ayrshire 81 1 40 27 1 19 108 1 59
South Lanarkshire 296 3 109 116 5 116 411 3 225
Stirling 3 117 1 12 35 2 33 152 1 45
West Dunbartonshire 3 157 2 56 14 1 15 171 1 71
West Lothian 4 341 3 44 72 3 19 413 3 63
Scotland 10,279 100 1,978 2,156 100 1,784 12,435 100 3,762

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 Dumfries & Galloway, East Lothian, Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.

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 48 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, 2016 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 12 33 8 7 70 7 19 40 15
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs 25 67 10 3 30 5 28 60 15
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 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 6,142 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land located within Strategic Development Plan Areas (66% in Glasgow & Clyde Valley and 25% in SESplan SDP areas).

Table 3: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within Scotland's Strategic Development Plan Areas, 2016 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 52 1 39 62 4 45 114 2 84
Glasgow & Clyde Valley 3,064 68 976 1,003 62 943 4,067 66 1,919
SESplan 1,235 27 326 288 18 149 1,523 25 475
TAYplan 185 4 115 254 16 208 439 7 323
Total 4,536 100 1,456 1,607 100 1,345 6,142 100 2,801

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 SDParea): 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 SDParea): 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 ( SES plan 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 2010-2016. 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. Dumfries & Galloway, East Lothian, Highland and West Lothian did not update their data in 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.

4.8 The period covered by the most recent survey showed a net decrease of 253 hectares (2%) in Scotland's total amount of derelict and urban vacant land, from 12,688 hectares in 2015 to 12,435 hectares in 2016. This follows a decrease of 455 hectares in derelict and urban vacant land recorded in 2015.

4.9 Overall, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land in Scotland has shown a net increase of 9% since 2010 (from 11,372 hectares in 2010 to 12,435 hectares in 2016). 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 are some changes in the areas of several existing sites as well as some other sites that became naturalised. Excluding derelict mineral sites, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land has decreased from 9,076 hectares in 2014 to 8,919 hectares in 2015 (2% decrease from 2014) and to 8,829 hectares in 2016 (1% decrease from 2015).

4.10 The change in the recorded amount of derelict and urban vacant land during 2010 to 2016 is much more varied by council. 22 councils had decreases in levels of recorded derelict and urban vacant land, including Moray (down 43%), Aberdeen City (down 40%) and Midlothian (down 32%). Ten councils have recorded more derelict and urban vacant land in 2016 than they did in 2010, this includes East Ayrshire with more than seven times as much recorded derelict and urban vacant land in 2016 as in 2010. Percentage changes for some councils are volatile due to there being only a small base of recorded land in 2010.

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

Table 4: Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land by local authority area, 2010-2016 1,2,3

Local Authority Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land Area (ha) % Change 2010-2016 5
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Aberdeen City 59 50 53 51 46 36 36 -40%
Aberdeenshire 66 81 83 75 71 71 79 20%
Angus 172 170 173 173 183 164 142 -18%
Argyll & Bute 4 30 29 34 34 31 59 58 94%
Clackmannanshire 28 29 21 24 32 28 69 151%
Dumfries & Galloway 6 461 461 463 463 461 433 433 -6%
Dundee City 225 198 187 196 211 215 204 -9%
East Ayrshire 336 335 335 351 2,553 2,541 2,457 631%
East Dunbartonshire 72 65 71 66 62 71 77 7%
East Lothian 6 86 83 65 67 65 80 80 -7%
East Renfrewshire 54 54 55 60 60 55 55 2%
Edinburgh, City of 217 222 210 211 207 183 172 -21%
Falkirk 156 159 159 173 187 200 246 58%
Fife 831 872 853 859 864 654 650 -22%
Glasgow City 1,329 1,305 1,239 1,196 1,171 1,145 1,111 -16%
Highland 6 1,454 1,455 1,455 1,382 1,373 1,342 1,342 -8%
Inverclyde 121 123 141 149 146 163 160 32%
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs 4 n/a 35 32 31 31 28 28 n/a
Midlothian 274 272 270 270 215 197 188 -32%
Moray 27 19 17 22 21 15 15 -43%
Na h-Eileanan Siar 10 10 10 10 10 10 9 -11%
North Ayrshire 1,316 1,353 1,344 1,338 1,345 1,335 1,330 1%
North Lanarkshire 1,429 1,415 1,369 1,299 1,293 1,258 1,222 -15%
Orkney Islands 41 41 41 39 39 39 39 -6%
Perth & Kinross 4 49 48 48 44 46 45 38 -23%
Renfrewshire 965 956 981 957 927 913 860 -11%
Scottish Borders 88 84 86 82 76 75 75 -15%
Shetland Islands 9 9 8 8 7 6 6 -31%
South Ayrshire 96 97 100 104 104 109 108 13%
South Lanarkshire 504 476 471 475 472 462 411 -18%
Stirling 4 177 175 177 175 164 163 152 -14%
West Dunbartonshire 4 212 194 193 188 189 182 171 -19%
West Lothian 6 477 478 478 478 484 413 413 -14%
Scotland 11,372 11,354 11,220 11,053 13,143 12,688 12,435 9%

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years.
3. During 2016, historical data for the years 2010-2015 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 2016 survey returns. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with un-amended historical data for the survey years of 1996-2009.
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. 2016 data for Dumfries & Galloway, East Lothian, Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.

Contact

Email: Planning Statistics

Phone: 0300 244 4000 – Central Enquiry Unit

The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG

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