Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey 2018

Data collection undertaken to establish the extent and state of vacant and derelict land in Scotland.


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 Land1

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 177 2 118 248 15 113 426 4 231
Business Class 4 * 6 5 * 8 9 * 14
Community & Health 591 7 133 82 5 67 673 6 200
Defence 1,236 14 37 34 2 22 1,270 12 59
Education 143 2 97 199 12 138 343 3 235
Forestry/Woodland 22 * 12 15 1 6 37 * 18
Green/Environmental 1 * 1 - - - 1 * 1
Manufacturing 1,871 21 286 266 16 115 2,137 20 401
Mineral Activity 3,064 35 233 16 1 15 3,080 29 248
Nature Conservation 8 * 1 - - - 8 * 1
Offices 7 * 16 14 1 20 21 * 36
Other General Industry2 470 5 140 123 7 102 593 6 242
Passive Open Space 25 * 15 53 3 41 78 1 56
Prepared Ground 32 * 14 82 5 30 114 1 44
Recreation & Leisure3 107 1 75 62 4 64 169 2 139
Residential 142 2 213 279 16 359 422 4 572
Retailing 14 * 44 37 2 54 51 * 98
Storage 163 2 75 52 3 49 214 2 124
Transport 363 4 126 66 4 70 429 4 196
Utility Services 154 2 35 5 * 11 159 2 46
Wholesale Distribution 16 * 11 19 1 10 35 * 21
Other 149 2 78 51 3 55 200 2 133
Total of categorised sites 8,760 100 1,766 1,710 100 1,349 10,470 100 3,115
Unknown4 285   163 282   270 567   433
Total 9,044   1,929 1,992   1,619 11,037   3,548

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.

11.3 In 2018 the previous use was unknown for 567 hectares - 285 hectares (3%) of derelict land and 282 hectares (14%) of urban vacant land. Where previous use is known, 35% of derelict land had previously been used for mineral activity (3,064 hectares), 21% for manufacturing (1,871 hectares) and 14% for defence (1,236 hectares). For urban vacant land, where previous use is known, the largest areas had former residential uses (16%, 279 hectares) or manufacturing uses (16%, 266 hectares) (Table 13).

11.4 Where the time a site has lain unused was known, 33% (1,621 hectares) of urban vacant or derelict land within settlements and 36% (2,006 hectares) within the countryside had been unused since before 1991 (Table 14 and Table 15). Across Scotland 3,627 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 first identified as derelict/urban vacant land1,2,3

Local Authority Pre-19914 1991-20004 2001-20054 2006-20104 2011-20154 2016-20184 Unknown4 Total
Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) % Area (ha) Area (ha)
Aberdeen City 4 13 2 6 3 10 2 6 10 31 11 34 9 42
Aberdeenshire - - 4 11 3 8 7 20 7 20 14 41 30 65
Angus 5 8 9 14 31 48 11 16 8 12 1 1 5 71
Argyll and Bute5 7 44 * 2 - - 4 24 4 28 * 2 13 28
Clackmannanshire 3 14 - - 6 27 1 5 8 40 3 15 - 21
Dumfries and Galloway 32 57 2 3 9 17 11 19 2 4 - - 40 96
Dundee City 35 19 38 21 27 15 33 18 27 15 22 12 3 184
East Ayrshire 51 50 22 22 9 9 11 11 8 8 1 1 28 130
East Dunbartonshire 20 49 8 20 2 4 - - 11 27 - - - 40
East Lothian 1 5 1 3 * 2 6 24 16 65 - - 7 32
East Renfrewshire 8 16 16 33 16 32 2 3 7 14 1 2 - 50
City of Edinburgh 11 10 19 17 5 4 46 41 16 15 16 14 50 163
Falkirk 34 17 8 4 92 47 14 7 40 20 9 4 23 220
Fife 90 26 96 28 88 26 45 13 22 6 - - 8 348
Glasgow City 413 43 235 24 86 9 155 16 62 6 19 2 - 969
Highland6 173 78 27 12 15 7 4 2 3 2 - - 17 240
Inverclyde 17 11 23 15 10 6 23 15 68 44 13 8 * 155
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park5 1 42 - - 1 58 - - - - - - 1 3
Midlothian 29 73 3 7 4 9 * 1 1 3 3 7 - 40
Moray - - - - 8 53 - - 6 40 1 7 - 16
Na h-Eileanan Siar - - 2 100 - - - - - - - - 6 8
North Ayrshire 187 37 137 27 81 16 82 16 5 1 13 3 5 510
North Lanarkshire 198 21 383 41 26 3 201 21 62 7 75 8 3 949
Orkney Islands - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Perth and Kinross5 2 6 2 7 7 23 12 39 8 25 - - 3 33
Renfrewshire 43 29 25 17 22 15 54 36 3 2 1 1 - 148
Scottish Borders 4 30 2 19 - - 2 20 4 31 - - 41 53
Shetland Islands - - - - * 100 - - - - - - 1 1
South Ayrshire 56 62 15 16 3 4 12 14 * * 4 4 21 113
South Lanarkshire 70 38 15 8 12 7 29 16 38 21 20 11 44 228
Stirling5 1 3 4 17 1 4 11 50 3 12 3 14 11 33
West Dunbartonshire5 77 46 36 21 26 15 7 4 13 8 8 5 1 168
West Lothian 48 72 - - 13 19 2 3 1 2 3 4 37 104
Scotland 1,621 33 1,136 23 606 12 785 16 465 10 241 5 406 5,262

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. These sites are no longer recorded in Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire local authority boundaries, and are separately identifiable as Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park from 2011. Prior to 2011 these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.

6. Highland has not updated their survey since 2015 so their 2016-2018 figures have been carried over from 2015.

Table 15 - Sites in the countryside - date first identified as derelict or urban vacant land1,2,3

Local Authority Pre-19914 1991-20004 2001-20054 2006-20104 2011-20154 2016-20184 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 181 86 3 1 - - 18 8 9 4 - - 1 211
Argyll and Bute5 - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 29
Clackmannanshire - - - - - - - - 24 67 12 33 - 36
Dumfries and Galloway 223 100 - - - - * * - - - - * 224
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 - - 12 57
Fife 129 36 73 20 119 33 40 11 1 * - - 17 378
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 59 27 36 - - 2 3 1 1 * * 3 78
Moray - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Na h-Eileanan Siar - - - - - -   - - - - - - -
North Ayrshire 28 4 38 5 635 83 67 9 - - - - - 768
North Lanarkshire 92 24 19 5 17 4 9 2 152 40 95 25 1 385
Orkney Islands 32 100 - - - - - - - - - - - 32
Perth and Kinross5 1 10 - - 3 37 2 24 2 30 - - 2 9
Renfrewshire - - 106 98 - - - - 2 2 - - - 108
Scottish Borders 6 100 - - - - - - - - - - 9 15
Shetland Islands 3 100 - - - - - - - - - - 2 6
South Ayrshire - - - - - - - - 4 88 1 12 2 6
South Lanarkshire 85 63 9 7 35 26 5 4 - - - - 27 161
Stirling5 109 98 2 2 - - * * - - - - 1 112
West Dunbartonshire5 - - - - - - - - - - * 100 - *
West Lothian 142 61 35 15 54 24 - - - - - - 6 238
Scotland 2,006 36% 429 8% 1,130 20 195 3% 1,710 31% 108 2% 196 5,775

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. These sites are no longer recorded in Argyll and Bute, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire local authority boundaries, and are separately identifiable as Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park from 2011. Prior to 2011, these sites were classified within the relevant local authority boundary.

6. Highland has not updated their survey since 2015 so their 206-2018 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 45% of urban vacant land with known development potential. The higher proportion of urban vacant land estimated to be developed in the short term is not surprising given derelict land (by definition) requires some form of rehabilitation before new development can commence. Overall, 27% 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 Land1

Development Potential 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 Land (by Area)4 No. of Sites
Developable - Short Term2 1,845 22 492 844 45 625 2,688 27 1,117
Developable - Medium Term3 2,510 31 488 705 37 571 3,215 32 1,059
Developable - Undetermined 1,733 21 556 286 15 283 2,019 20 839
Uneconomic to Develop/Reclamation for 'Soft' End Use 2,112 26 189 46 2 51 2,158 21 240
Total for sites with known development potential 8,200 100% 1,725 1,881 100% 1,530 10,081 100% 3,255
Unknown4 844 - 204 112 - 89 955 - 293
Total 9,044 - 1,929 1,992 - 1,619 11,037 - 3,548

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.

11.6 In 2018, a majority of all derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership had a single private owner, 72% (7,269 hectares). 22% (2,278 hectares) of derelict and urban vacant land with known ownership had a single public owner. The remaining 6% is split with 4% (414 hectares) mixed public and private ownership, 1% (115 hectares) multiple private owners and 1% (78 hectares) multiple public owners. Of the 11,037 hectares of derelict and urban vacant land recorded in 2018, 8% (883 hectares) has ownership unknown to the local authority (Table 17).

Table 17 - Ownership of Derelict and Urban Vacant Land1

Ownership Derelict Land Urban Vacant Land Total Derelict and Urban Vacant Land
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 1,452 17 421 826 47 711 2,278 22 1,132
Single Owner: Private 6,509 78 1,068 759 43 623 7,269 72 1,691
Multiple Owners: Public 48 1 25 30 2 20 78 1 45
Multiple Owners: Private 74 1 30 41 2 16 115 1 46
Mixed Owners 305 4 80 108 6 57 414 4 137
Total where ownership known 8,389 100 1,624 1,765 100 1,427 10,154 100 3,051
Single Owner: Unknown2 655 - 305 228 - 192 883 - 497
Total 9,044 - 1,929 1,992 - 1,619 11,037 - 3,548

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

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

Contact

Email: Planning_Stats@gov.scot

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