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4 Contamination of derelict and urban vacant land

4.1 Table 8 shows the contamination status of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land; under the definitions used in the survey, all sites that are known or suspected to be contaminated are defined as being derelict rather than vacant (paragraph 2.2). The survey draws on existing sources of data regarding contamination and does not specifically require the testing of sites. The term 'contamination' used in the survey differs from the statutory definition in the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and refers simply to the presence or absence of a number of potential contaminants. In 2005 some local authorities brought their interpretation of 'contamination' into line with the definition in the 1990 Environmental Protection Act, leading to the reclassification of some derelict sites with regard to contamination. See Annex section A.4 for further information on the contamination status of sites.

4.2 171 derelict sites, covering 1,186 hectares, were known to have contamination. The contamination status of 9,383 hectares of urban vacant and derelict land (89 per cent of the total) was unknown

Table 8: Contamination status of derelict and urban vacant land ¹, 2005 ²

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding
2. 2002 data have been used for the Scottish Borders council area.
3. See Annex section A.4 for further information on local authority interpretation of contamination of sites

4.3 The 1,186 hectares of derelict land that is known to be contaminated (Table 8) is broken down by main contamination type in Table 9. Coal is the most common contaminant, affecting 443 hectares (48 per cent) of known contaminated derelict land. Other contaminants not listed in the table below account for a further 232 hectares (25 per cent) of known contaminated derelict land.

Table 9: Contaminated land, by contamination type ¹, 2005 ^{2, 3}

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding
2. 2002 data have been used for the Scottish Borders council area.
3. Unknown values are excluded from the calculation of percentage values
4. See Annex section A.4 for further information on local authority interpretation of contamination of sites

4.4 Table 10 shows land known to be contaminated by Local Enterprise Company. Scottish Enterprise Fife contains 337 hectares of known contaminated land, representing 28 per cent of the total of land known to be contaminated. Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire area has 210 hectares of known contaminated land, representing 18 per cent of the national total. This area also has the largest number of contaminated sites (75 ) and accounts for over 40 per cent of all derelict sites with known contamination in Scotland.

Table 10: Known contaminated land ¹ by Local Enterprise Company, 2005 ²

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding
2. 2002 data have been used for the Scottish Borders council area.
3. See Annex section A.4 for further information on local authority interpretation of contamination of sites

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