Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2011

2 Summary

2.1 The following main points emerge from the 2011 survey:

• There were 10,809 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land recorded in the 2011 survey, of which 2,513 hectares (23%) were classified as urban vacant and 8,297 hectares were classified as derelict (77%).
• Since 2005, there has been an increase of 281 hectares in the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land recorded in the survey, from 10,528 hectares in 2005 to 10,809 hectares in 2011. This is attributable to the land that has been brought back into productive use or removed due to naturalisation being balanced by a small number of large sites falling out of use.
• Since 2005, an average of 488 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land was brought back into use each year. The 2011 survey recorded 336 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land being reused since 2010.
• The local authority with the highest amount of recorded derelict and urban vacant land is North Lanarkshire, containing 1,438 hectares (13% of Scotland total). North Ayrshire has the second highest amount with 1,314 hectares (12% of Scotland total). Glasgow City is third with 1,303 hectares (12%).

2.2 The Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey (SVDLS) is an annual survey undertaken to establish the extent and state of vacant and derelict land in Scotland and the amount of land that has been reclaimed since the previous survey. Since 2009, all local authorities have provided data each year. Prior to this, not all local authorities fully participated. Annex Table E records local authority annual participation in the survey. The main purpose of the survey is to provide a national data source to inform the programming of the rehabilitation, planning and reuse of urban vacant and derelict sites. In 2011, we received data from every authority.

2.3 Vacant land is land which is unused for the purposes for which it is held and is viewed as an appropriate site for development. This land must either have had prior development on it or preparatory work has taken place in anticipation of future development. The main part of this bulletin covers vacant land (referred to as 'urban vacant') that is located within settlements of over 2,000 in population (as defined in council local plans, see Annex Section A.5). Some local authorities have also surveyed for vacant land within settlements of under 2,000 in population. Further information on those results can be found in Annex Table B.

2.4 Derelict land (and buildings) is land which has been so damaged by development, that it is incapable of development for beneficial use without rehabilitation. In addition the land must currently not be used for the purpose for which it is held or a use acceptable in the local plan. Land also qualifies as derelict if it has an unremedied previous use which could constrain future development. For urban vacant and derelict land, site records must be at least 0.1 hectares in size to be included.

2.5 Table 1 shows that in 2011 there were 10,809 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land, of which 77% was classified as derelict (8,297 hectares). Six councils (North Lanarkshire, North Ayrshire, Glasgow City, Highland, Renfrewshire and Fife) together contain 65% of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land.

2.6 4,037 sites were recorded in the 2011 survey. The 12 largest sites in Scotland collectively account for 27% of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land. Those sites (all of which are derelict) include the former Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton, Renfrewshire (708 hectares), Fearn and Fendom Airfields in Highland (collectively 681 hectares), the Ardeer sites in North Ayrshire (574 hectares), a former opencast site by Kinglassie in Fife (305 hectares) and Ravenscraig East in North Lanarkshire (144 hectares). As an aside, the 200-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.

2.7 This bulletin separately identifies urban vacant and derelict land within the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority (LLTNP). 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 is not directly comparable with that for previous years, as those sites falling within the LLTNP are separately identified in 2011.

Table 1: Derelict and Urban Vacant land by local authority area, 2011¹

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. As a percentage of the total vacant/derelict land recorded in Scotland.
3. A partial survey was completed for Highland - See Annex A.11.
4. In 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 in 2011. In previous years, these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.

2.8 The distribution of derelict and urban vacant land by Enterprise Region is shown in Table 2. The region with the most derelict and urban vacant land is West Central Scotland (6,370 hectares, or 59% of the total for Scotland).

2.9 Table 2 also shows that there are 51 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land located within Scotland's National Parks (20 hectares in Cairngorms and 31 hectares in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs).

Table 2: Derelict and Urban Vacant land by Enterprise Region, 2011^1,2
Derelict and Urban Vacant land located within Scotland's National Parks, 2011^1,2

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. A partial survey was completed for Highland - See Annex A.11.

2.10 Table 3 shows the area of recorded derelict and urban vacant land in the years 2005-2011. 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.

2.11 The period covered by the most recent survey (2011) showed a net decrease of 47 hectares in Scotland's total amount of derelict and urban vacant land, from 10,857 hectares in 2010 to 10,809 hectares in 2011. This follows a decrease of 15 hectares in derelict and urban vacant land recorded in 2010.

2.12 Overall, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land in Scotland has shown a net increase of 3% since 2005 (from 10,528 hectares in 2005 to 10,809 hectares in 2011). 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 16 and 20. The change in the recorded amount of derelict and urban vacant land during 2005-2011 is much more varied by council. 24 councils had decreases in levels of recorded derelict and urban vacant land, including Aberdeen City (down 64%), East Dunbartonshire (down 48%), Perth & Kinross (down 48%) and Moray (down 35%). 7 councils have more recorded derelict and urban vacant land in 2011 than they did in 2005. This includes North Ayrshire (up 140%), Scottish Borders (up 65%) and Aberdeenshire (up 35%). Some of the larger percentage changes for certain councils (for example the Shetland Islands) are due to there only being a small base of recorded land in 2005.

Table 3: Total Derelict and Urban Vacant land by local authority area, 2005-2011^1,2,3

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years.
3. During 2011, historical data for the years 2005-2010 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 2011 survey returns. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with un-amended historical data for the survey years of 1996-2004.
4. In 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 in 2011. In previous years, these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.
5. Previous SVDLS bulletins have used 2002 instead of 2005 as the base year for percentage change and so these percentages should not be compared with those in previous bulletins.