Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2017

7 Derelict and Urban Vacant Land: Location relative to Deprivation

7.1 This section focuses on derelict and urban vacant land and where it is situated relative to the 15% most deprived data zones in Scotland (as identified by the ‘Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation’ ( SIMD 2016). The SIMD identifies small area concentrations of multiple deprivation across all of Scotland. It contains 38 indicators in seven domains: Income, Employment, Health, Education, Skills and Training, Geographic Access to Services, Crime and Housing. SIMD 2016 was published on 31 August 2016.

Table 10: Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within the 15% most deprived data zones, 2012-2017 ^[1,2,3,4,5]

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2. 2012-2017 analysis uses the results of SIMD 2016 published on 31 August 2016. These results should not be compared with those published in previous bulletins due to the updated SIMD index.
3. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years.
4. Further information on how this data was calculated is available in Annex Section A.9

5. During 2017, historical data for the years 2011-2017 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 2017 survey returns. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with un-amended historical data for the survey years of 1996-2010.

6. 2017 data for Highland and West Lothian is carried over from 2015.

7.2 Table 10 shows the proportion of each local authority’s data zones that are within Scotland’s 15% most deprived, and the amount of derelict and urban vacant land that is situated within those data zones for the years 2012 to 2017. In 2012, 1,464 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land were situated within the 15% most deprived data zones. By 2017 this had increased to 1,563 hectares. This represents 13% of all derelict and urban vacant land recorded in Scotland in 2017.

7.3 Glasgow City has the largest amount of derelict and urban vacant land located within the 15% most deprived data zones for each of the last six years. This figure has decreased by 116 hectares between 2012 and 2017 from 774 hectares to 658 hectares. East Ayrshire has the second highest amount of derelict and urban vacant land located within the 15% most deprived data zones for 2017. This figure has increased between 2012 and 2017 from 61 hectares to 308 hectares.

7.4 Angus, Dumfries & Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian and Perth & Kinross have data zones within Scotland’s 15% most deprived but did not have any derelict or urban vacant land situated within those areas in 2017. In addition, Moray, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands have no data zones within Scotland’s 15% most deprived.

7.5 Table 10 uses the results for SIMD 2016. In previous SVDLS publications analysis was based on SIMD 2012. The largest differences for area between the two versions of SIMD are noticed in East Ayrshire for the years 2014 & 2015 and for North Lanarkshire across all years. In East Ayrshire there is a large increase in the area of vacant and derelict land in the 15% most deprived data zones (285 hectares for 2015). This is largely due to two sites (133 hectares and 110 hectares) that under SIMD 2016 now fall within the 15% most deprived data zones but were not included under SIMD 2012. In North Lanarkshire there is a large decrease in the area of vacant and derelict land in the 15% most deprived data zones (290 hectares for 2015). This is mainly due to 6 sites ranging from 7 to 115 hectares that no longer fall within the 15% most deprived data zones.

7.6 Chart 3 shows the amount of derelict and urban vacant land located within the 15% most deprived data zones in 2017, split by local authority. Across Scotland as a whole, more than 60% of all derelict and urban vacant land located within the 15% most deprived data zones is in either Glasgow City or East Ayrshire. Glasgow City has the highest proportion, with 42% of all derelict and urban vacant land within the 15% most deprived data zones being located within this council’s boundaries, East Ayrshire contains 20%. There is then a gap to North Ayrshire and North Lanarkshire (each with 7%), South Lanarkshire (5%) and Dundee City (4%).

Chart 3: Percentage of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land located within the 15% most deprived data zones, 2017

7.7 Chart 4 draws together the analysis on people’s proximity to derelict land in 2017 and the information on deprivation levels contained within SIMD 2016. For each decile, the proportion of the total data zone population that lives within 500 metres of a derelict site in 2017 is given. Decile 1 represents the 10% most deprived data zones in Scotland, through to decile 10, which represents the 10% least deprived data zones in Scotland. A clear relationship can be seen showing that as data zones get progressively less deprived, the proportion of their population that lives within 500 metres of a derelict site becomes smaller.

Chart 4: Percentage of Scotland’s population living within 500 metres of Derelict Land by deprivation decile, 2017 ^1,2

1. Analysis uses 2016 mid-year population estimates and SIMD 2016.
2. Comparisons should not be made to years earlier than 2016 as results based on SIMD 2016 are not comparable with previous years that were based on SIMD 2012.