Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2011

3 Derelict land: Levels and Location

3.1 This section focuses exclusively on derelict land, its levels over the past 7 years and its location within Scotland. As previously stated, derelict land is land which has been so damaged by development, that it is incapable of development for beneficial use without rehabilitation. 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.

Table 4 : Total Derelict 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.

3.2 Table 4 shows the area of recorded derelict land in the years 2005-2011, split by local authority. It should be noted that a small number of councils did not participate in every survey between 2005-2011. In these cases, previous years' data is rolled forward until new data becomes available.

3.3 Overall , the total amount of derelict land has shown a net increase of 486 hectares (6%), from 7,811 hectares in 2005 to 8,297 hectares by 2011. This increase is largely driven by the increase in North Ayrshire (219%), and excluding North Ayrshire, the other authorities have recorded a net decrease of 271 hectares. Some councils have seen large percentage decreases (for example Aberdeen City, down 67%) whereas others have seen increases in levels of derelict land (for example Scottish Borders, up 51%). Some of the larger percentage changes for certain councils (for example the Shetland Islands and Moray) are due to there only being a small base of recorded land in 2005.

3.4 The six councils recording the highest amount of derelict land are North Lanarkshire (1,147 ha) North Ayrshire (1,102 ha), Highland (1,017 ha), Fife (776 ha), Renfrewshire (766 ha) and Glasgow City (668 ha). Together these councils account for 66% of all derelict land recorded in 2011.

3.5 Out of these 6 councils , North Ayrshire has had the most obvious increase in its amount of derelict land since 2005, from 345 hectares in 2005 to 1,102 hectares in 2011. This is largely due to a small number of very large sites at Ardeer becoming derelict in 2006. Scottish Borders also showed a large increase (of 51%) in this period, but in recent years has declined from a peak in 2007.

3.6 Looking at the other councils, the trend in North Lanarkshire has shown a gradual increase since 2005 leading to an overall 12% increase in derelict land between 2005 and 2011. Renfrewshire dropped from 780 hectares to 766 hectares (down 2%), Highland from 935 hectares to 1,017 hectares (up 9%) and Glasgow City from 750 hectares to 668 hectares (down 11%).

3.7 Table 5 shows the number, location and average size of derelict sites by local authority in 2011. The average size of a derelict site in Scotland is 4.3 hectares. 75% of all Scotland's derelict sites are found within a settlement. The remaining 25% are within the countryside. Whilst a clear majority of derelict sites are located within settlements, there is actually more derelict land outside of settlements (in the countryside) than within. This is because the average size of a countryside site is 10.3 hectares, whereas the average size of a settlement-based derelict site is only 2.3 hectares. 4,931 hectares of derelict land is currently located within the countryside. This is 59% of total derelict land in Scotland, whereas the remaining 41% (3,365 hectares) is located within a settlement. It is notable that the 708 hectare former Royal Ordnance site in Renfrewshire increases the average size of countryside sites by 17%, and without it they would average 8.9 hectares.

3.8 Glasgow City has the largest number of settlement-based derelict sites with 297 recorded in 2011. North Lanarkshire has the highest amount of derelict land recorded within settlements in 2011 (706 hectares). This accounts for 21% of all settlement-based derelict land.

3.9 North Lanarkshire has the largest number of countryside-based derelict sites with 73 recorded in 2011. North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Highland collectively account for 47% of all countryside-based derelict land. This is due mainly to the presence of some very large derelict sites, namely the aforementioned Former Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton (708 hectares), the Ardeer sites in North Ayrshire (574 hectares) and the Fearn/Fendom Airfields in Highland (collectively 681 hectares).

Table 5: Location of Derelict sites by local authority and average site size, 2011^1,2,3

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. A partial survey was completed for Highland - See Annex A.11.
3. Settlements as defined by Local Authorities in their latest council approved local plans (see Annex Section A.5).
4. As a percentage of the total amount of derelict land that is within a settlement in Scotland.
5. As a percentage of the total amount of derelict land that is within the countryside in Scotland.
6. 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.

3.10 Chart 2 below shows the ten councils with the most derelict land in relation to the size of their administrative area. The figures for all councils can be found in Table C in the annex. Approximately 3.8% of Glasgow City's total land area is derelict. The comparative figures for the next highest councils are 2.9% in Renfrewshire, 2.4% in North Lanarkshire, 1.3% in West Lothian, 1.2% in North Ayrshire and 1.1% in West Dunbartonshire. Across Scotland as a whole, slightly more than 0.1% of all land is derelict.

Chart 2: Local Authorities with the highest amount of Derelict land as a percentage of local authority administrative area, 2011

3.11 Table 6 shows the characteristics of derelict land in Scotland during 2011. Of the 1,951 derelict sites recorded in the 2011 survey 1,435 (74%) were given a characteristic. In terms of land the response rate is higher, with 6,539 out of 8,297 hectares of derelict land classified by characteristic (79%).

3.12 Table 6 also shows the variation in the characteristics of derelict land (for the 79% of land that has been classified by characteristic). 31% of this derelict land (2,058 hectares and 191 sites) is recorded as having both building remains and possible left over chemicals/substances. A further 19% of derelict land (1,217 hectares and 38 sites) is characterised by a mixture of building remains, possible left over chemicals/substances and the remains of abandoned physical material (stone deposits, rubble etc). Whilst accounting for only 10% of characterised derelict land, it is worth noting that the most common derelict characteristic in terms of sites affected is the remains of buildings, with 503 sites recorded as having this as a single characteristic. It should be noted that there is potential for a lot of overlap in these categories, so the results should be treated with some caution.

Table 6: Derelict Land Characteristics, 2011^1,2

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