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2 Urban Vacant and Derelict land: Introduction and Summary (cont)

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. While not all local authorities participate fully, the vast majority of authorities provide data every year. For 2008, 29 authorities provided data. The three that didn't return (Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire and Moray) had local issues which precluded their participation. Where relevant, data has been carried forward from 2007 for these authorities. 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.

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.

Table 1: Derelict and urban vacant land ¹ by local authority area, 2008

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

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 2008 there were 10,832 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land, of which 76% was classified as derelict (8,203 hectares). Six councils (North Lanarkshire, Glasgow City, North Ayrshire, Highland, Renfrewshire and Fife together contain 63% of all recorded derelict and urban vacant land.

2.6 3,930 sites were recorded in the 2008 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 (645 hectares) and Ravenscraig East and West sites in North Lanarkshire (271 hectares).

2.7 The distribution of derelict and urban vacant land by Local Enterprise Company ( LEC) area is shown in Table 2. Since the last survey, the LECs have been reorganised, so there are now only six separate areas. The Local Enterprise Company area with the most derelict and urban vacant land is West Central Scotland (6,339 hectares, or 59% of the total for Scotland).

2.8 Table 2 also shows the amount of urban vacant and derelict land located within Scotland's National Parks. 23 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land lies within a National Park (18 hectares in Cairngorms and 5 hectares in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs).

Table 2: Derelict and urban vacant land ¹ by Enterprise Area, 2008 ²
Derelict and urban vacant land ¹ located within Scotland's National Parks, 2008 ²

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

2.9 Table 3 shows the area of recorded derelict and urban vacant land in the years 2002-2008. It should be noted that a small number of councils did not participate in every survey during those years. In these cases, the most recent available data is used to provide an estimate for the appropriate year.

2.10 The period covered by the most recent survey (2008) showed a net decrease of 58 hectares in Scotland's total amount of derelict and urban vacant land, from 10,890 hectares in 2007 to 10,832 hectares in 2008. This follows a net decrease of 78 hectares in derelict and urban vacant land, recorded in 2007.

2.11 Overall, the total amount of derelict and urban vacant land in Scotland has shown a net increase of 1 per cent since 2002 (from 10,696 hectares in 2002 to 10,832 hectares in 2008). The change in the recorded amount of derelict and urban vacant land during 2002-2008 is much more varied by council. 23 councils had relative decreases in levels of recorded derelict and urban vacant land, including Perth & Kinross (down 62%), Aberdeen City (down 60%), Falkirk (down 51%) and East Lothian (down 50%). 9 councils have more recorded derelict and urban vacant land in 2008 than they did in 2002. This includes North Ayrshire (up 205%), Fife (up 36%) and West Lothian (up 20%). Some of the larger relative changes for certain councils (for example the Shetland Islands) are due to there only being a small base of recorded land in 2002.

Table 3: Total Derelict and Urban Vacant land ¹ by local authority area, 2002-2008 ²

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding
2. See Annex Table E for details of council participation in different years.
3. During 2007, historical data for the years 2002-2006 was revised to remove sites that had been taken out of the survey for definitional reasons and to correct any other previous errors highlighted in the 2007 survey returns. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with unamended historical data for the survey years of 1996-2001.

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