Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2019

Data collection undertaken to establish the extent and state of vacant and derelict land in Scotland. The data is sourced from local authorities and the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority.

This document is part of a collection


11. Derelict and Urban Vacant Land: Previous Uses and Other Characteristics

11.1 This section focuses on previous uses of derelict and urban vacant land before it fell out of use. Information is also provided on how long derelict and urban vacant land has lain out of use and how developable that land is.

11.2 In general former agricultural land is only included if it is characterised by specific unsightliness or neglect. However, in some instances former agricultural land is released for development and is then classed as vacant if either the land is prepared for development or development has started on the land.

Table 13 - Previous uses of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land 1,5
Previous Use Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total V&D Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites
Agriculture 175 2 124 231 13 122 405 4 246
Business Class 4 * 7 8 * 9 12 * 16
Community & Health 586 7 134 90 5 70 676 6 204
Defence 1,242 14 38 97 5 24 1,340 13 62
Education 131 2 87 206 11 140 337 3 227
Forestry/Woodland 22 * 12 15 1 6 36 * 18
Green/Environmental 1 * 1 - - - 1 * 1
Manufacturing 1,855 22 279 277 15 117 2,132 20 396
Mineral Activity 3,049 35 229 17 1 16 3,067 29 245
Nature Conservation 8 * 1 - - - 8 * 1
Offices 7 * 15 12 1 18 19 * 33
Other General Industry2 430 5 143 122 7 100 552 5 243
Passive Open Space 24 * 16 62 3 47 86 1 63
Prepared Ground 29 * 14 83 5 30 112 1 44
Recreation & Leisure3 108 1 75 67 4 69 175 2 144
Residential 138 2 207 263 15 347 401 4 554
Retailing 15 * 45 39 2 54 54 1 99
Storage 130 2 71 56 3 48 186 2 119
Transport 343 4 121 75 4 69 419 4 190
Utility Services 148 2 30 8 * 17 156 1 47
Wholesale Distribution 12 * 10 23 1 10 36 * 20
Other 146 2 77 49 3 50 195 2 127
Total of categorised sites 8,605 100 1,736 1,799 100 1,363 10,404 100 3,099
Unknown4 261 150 261 261 521 411
Total 8,866 1,886 2,060 1,624 10,926 3,510

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding .

2. Excluding manufacturing.

3. Excluding passive open space.

4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentages.

5. Figures do not include urban vacant sites in settlements with a population of less than 2,000. These are reported separately in the Annex.

11.3 In 2019 the previous use was unknown for 261 hectares (3%) of derelict land and 261 hectares (13%) of urban vacant land. Where previous use is known, 35% of derelict land had previously been used for mineral activity (3,049 hectares), 22% for manufacturing (1,855 hectares) and 14% for defence (1,242 hectares). For urban vacant land, where previous use is known, the largest areas had former manufacturing uses (15%, 277 hectares) or residential uses (15%, 263 hectares) (Table 13).

11.4 Where the time a site has lain unused was known, 33% (1,580 hectares) of urban vacant or derelict land within settlements and 36% (1,995 hectares) within the countryside had been unused since before 1991 (Table 14 and Table 15). Across Scotland 3,575 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land has been unused for at least 25 years. There is considerable variation at council level for how long land has been unused.

Table 14 - Sites in Settlements - date identified as derelict/urban vacant land 1,2,3,7
Local Authority Pre-19914 1991-20004 2001-20054 2006-20104 2011-20154 2016-20194 Unknown4 Total
Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) Area (ha)
Aberdeen City 4 12 2 6 3 9 2 5 7 18 18 50 16 52
Aberdeenshire - - 4 12 2 5 6 18 7 21 15 44 29 63
Angus 6 12 10 19 22 44 10 21 1 2 1 2 64 115
Argyll and Bute5 7 48 * 2 - - 4 27 3 21 * 2 12 27
Clackmannanshire 3 18 - - 1 6 1 6 8 51 3 19 - 16
Dumfries and Galloway 35 59 2 3 11 18 10 17 2 4 - - 42 101
Dundee City 34 18 38 20 27 14 27 14 26 14 38 20 3 191
East Ayrshire 50 54 22 24 9 10 10 11 2 2 * * 28 121
East Dunbartonshire 20 51 8 20 1 1 - - 11 28 - - - 39
East Lothian 1 5 1 3 1 2 6 24 16 66 - - 7 32
East Renfrewshire 8 17 16 33 15 31 2 3 6 13 1 2 - 48
City of Edinburgh 11 10 19 17 4 4 44 41 14 13 15 14 42 150
Falkirk 33 17 8 4 96 49 14 7 37 19 9 5 15 212
Fife 88 27 86 27 87 27 42 13 21 6 - - 8 332
Glasgow City 400 44 217 24 77 8 145 16 56 6 24 3 * 918
Highland6 173 78 27 12 15 7 4 2 3 2 - - 17 240
Inverclyde 17 11 21 14 10 7 23 15 67 45 13 8 * 151
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park5 1 42 - - 1 58 - - - - - - 1 3
Midlothian 29 58 3 6 4 7 1 2 2 4 11 22 - 50
Moray - - - - 8 54 - - 6 39 1 7 - 15
Na h-Eileanan Siar - - 2 100 - - - - - - - - 6 8
North Ayrshire 178 36 135 28 79 16 80 16 4 1 13 3 4 494
North Lanarkshire 202 20 406 41 25 3 200 20 67 7 100 10 * 999
Orkney Islands - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Perth and Kinross5 1 3 2 5 6 13 12 27 21 48 2 4 3 46
Renfrewshire 34 28 25 20 18 14 43 35 3 3 1 1 - 125
Scottish Borders 4 30 2 19 - - 2 20 4 30 * 2 40 52
Shetland Islands - - - - * 100 - - - - - - 1 1
South Ayrshire 50 56 16 18 4 4 13 14 * * 7 7 18 109
South Lanarkshire 67 37 10 5 19 10 25 14 33 19 25 14 46 226
Stirling5 1 3 3 16 1 3 11 51 3 12 3 15 11 33
West Dunbartonshire5 74 46 36 22 25 15 7 4 13 8 8 5 * 163
West Lothian 47 70 - - 12 18 2 3 5 7 1 1 38 106
Scotland 1,580 33 1,121 23 582 12 747 16 449 9 309 6 452 5,239

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

2. Figures are for total vacant land in settlements of 2,000 and over and derelict land in all settlements. Settlements as defined by local authorities in their latest council approved local plans (Annex Section A.5).

3. See Annex D for details of council participation in different years.

4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.

5. From 2011 Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park took responsibility for surveying vacant and derelict land within the park boundaries. Prior to 2011 these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.

6. Highland has not updated their survey since 2015 so their figures have been carried over from 2015.

7. Figures do not include urban vacant sites in settlements with a population of less than 2,000. These are reported separately in the Annex.

Table 15 - Sites in the countryside - date identified as derelict or urban vacant land 1,2,3
Local Authority Pre-19914 1991-20004 2001-20054 2006-20104 2011-20154 2016-20194 Unknown4 Total
Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) Area (ha)
Aberdeen City - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Aberdeenshire 13 100 - - - - - - - - - - * 13
Angus 179 87 2 1 - - 18 9 7 4 - - 1 206
Argyll and Bute5 - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 29
Clackmannanshire - - - - - - - - 24 67 12 33 - 36
Dumfries and Galloway 221 100 - - - - * * - - - - * 221
Dundee City - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
East Ayrshire 122 7 1 * - - - - 1,507 92 - - 50 1,680
East Dunbartonshire 9 45 1 3 - - - - 10 52 - - 9 28
East Lothian 11 21 16 31 1 2 24 46 - - - - 5 56
East Renfrewshire - - 2 100 - - - - - - - - - 2
City of Edinburgh - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 2
Falkirk 28 64 3 7 7 16 6 13 * 1 - - 1 46
Fife 129 35 84 23 119 32 38 10 2 * - - 17 389
Glasgow City 23 65 13 35 - - - - - - - - - 36
Highland6 725 67 82 8 256 24 23 2 - - - - 16 1,102
Inverclyde - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park5 - - - - 4 100 - - - - - - - 4
Midlothian 44 66 19 29 - - 2 3 1 1 * 1 4 71
Moray - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Na h-Eileanan Siar - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
North Ayrshire 20 3 38 6 635 92 - - - - - - - 693
North Lanarkshire 92 24 19 5 19 5 8 2 152 39 96 25 1 388
Orkney Islands 32 100 - - - - - - - - - - - 32
Perth and Kinross5 1 11 - - 3 29 3 26 3 29 1 5 3 14
Renfrewshire - - 104 98 - - - - 2 2 - - - 106
Scottish Borders 5 100 - - - - - - - - - - 9 14
Shetland Islands 3 100 - - - - - - - - - - 2 6
South Ayrshire 13 77 - - - - - - 4 21 1 3 2 19
South Lanarkshire 82 66 9 7 28 23 5 4 - - - - 27 151
Stirling5 101 98 2 2 - - * * - - - - * 103
West Dunbartonshire5 - - - - - - - - - - * 100 - *
West Lothian 141 61 35 15 54 24 - - - - - - 6 237
Scotland 1,995 36 431 8 1,126 20 128 2 1,711 31 110 2 186 5,686

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

2. Figures are for derelict land in the countryside.

3. See Annex D for details of council participation in different years.

4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.

5. From 2011 Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park took responsibility for surveying vacant and derelict land within the park boundaries. Prior to 2011, these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.

6. Highland has not updated their survey since 2015 so their figures have been carried over from 2015.

11.5 Development potential of derelict and urban vacant land is reported by Local Authorities, based on their expectation of when land is likely to be developed. Within Scotland, 22% of all derelict land with known development potential is estimated to be developable in the short term, as is 46% of urban vacant land with known development potential. The higher proportion of urban vacant land estimated to be developed in the short term is to be expected given derelict land by definition requires some form of rehabilitation before new development can commence. Overall, 26% of all derelict and urban vacant land within Scotland with known development potential has been estimated to be developable in the short term. Across Scotland, 26% of derelict land and 2% of urban vacant land is seen by local authorities as being uneconomic to develop and/or is viewed as suitable to reclaim for a ‘soft’ end use (i.e. non-built use) (Table 16).

Table 16 - Development potential of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land 1
Development Potential Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land5 Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land5
Area (ha) % of Derelict Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Urban Vacant Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites Area (ha) % of Total Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites
Developable - Short Term2 1,723 22 491 889 46 624 2,613 26 1,115
Developable - Medium Term3 2,444 30 455 739 38 580 3,183 32 1,035
Developable - Undetermined 1,740 22 555 274 14 287 2,014 20 842
Uneconomic to Develop/Reclamation for 'Soft' End Use 2,108 26 185 45 2 49 2,153 22 234
Total for sites with known development potential 8,015 1,686 1,948 1,540 9,962 3,226
Unknown4 851 200 112 84 963 284
Total 8,866 1,886 2,060 1,624 10,926 3,510

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

2. Expectation of development within five years.

3. Expectation of development between five to ten years.

4. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.

5. Figures do not include urban vacant sites in settlements with a population of less than 2,000. These are reported separately in the Annex.

11.6 In 2019, a majority of all derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership had a single private owner, 72% (7,193 hectares). 22% (2,225 hectares) of derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership had a single public owner. The remaining 6% is split with 4% (422 hectares) mixed public and private ownership, 1% (134 hectares) multiple private owners and 1% (80 hectares) multiple public owners. Of the 10,926 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land reported in 2019, 8% (872 hectares) has ownership unknown to the local authority (Table 17).

Table 17 - Ownership of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land 1
Ownership Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land3 Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land3
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 Land
(by Area)2
No. of Sites
Single Owner: Public 1,395 17 395 830 45 722 2,225 22 1,117
Single Owner: Private 6,371 78 1,058 822 45 625 7,193 72 1,683
Multiple Owners: Public 44 1 21 36 2 23 80 1 44
Multiple Owners: Private 94 1 33 40 2 18 134 1 51
Mixed Owners 309 4 80 113 6 58 422 4 138
Total where ownership known 8,212 1,587 1,841 1,446 10,053 3,033
Single Owner: Unknown2 654 299 219 178 872 477
Total 8,866 1,886 2,060 1,624 10,926 3,510

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

2. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values.

3. Figures do not include urban vacant sites in settlements with a population of less than 2,000. These are reported separately in the Annex.

Contact

Email: planstats@gov.scot

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