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.


10. Urban Vacant Land: Levels and Location

10.1 This section focuses exclusively on urban vacant land, its levels over the past seven years and its location within Scotland. Vacant land is land which is unused for the purposes for which it is held and is viewed as an appropriate site for development. The land must either have had prior development on it or had preparatory work taken place in anticipation of future development. Vacant land is described as urban when it is located within settlements of over 2,000 in population. Unlike derelict land, urban vacant land is generally not in need of rehabilitation before new development can commence.

10.2 There were 2,060 hectares of urban vacant land recorded in Scotland in 2019. Glasgow City had the most urban vacant land with 424 hectares, followed by Dundee City (177 hectares) and North Ayrshire (176 hectares).

Chart 4 – Planning Authorities with the largest area of Urban Vacant Land
Chart 4 - Planning Authorities with the largest area of Urban Vacant Land

10.3 In 2019, the largest areas of urban vacant land in Scotland were Montrose Airfield, Angus (52 hectares), a site in Redburn, Irvine, North Ayrshire (22 hectares) and Claverhouse Business Park, Dundee (21 hectares).

10.4 In 2013 there were 2,456 hectares of urban vacant land in Scotland. This figure has fallen to 2,060 hectares in 2019. Between 2013 and 2019 there has been an overall 16% (396 hectares) reduction in the amount of urban vacant land in Scotland.

10.5 Changes in the relative amount of urban vacant land in Scotland between 2013 and 2019 show variation at council level. The largest reduction in terms of area was in Glasgow City, down by 128 hectares from 552 hectares in 2013 to 424 hectares in 2019. 27 Planning Authorities recorded percentage decreases since 2013, the remaining six showed an increase. Some of the larger percentage changes, for example Orkney Islands and Perth and Kinross, are due to a very small base of recorded land in 2013.

Table 12 - Total Urban Vacant Land by Planning Authority1,2,3
Local Authority Total Urban Vacant Land Area (ha)7 % Change 2013-20195
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Aberdeen City 23 22 17 22 22 30 39 69%
Aberdeenshire 40 37 37 41 35 35 34 -16%
Angus 49 57 53 42 50 52 98 101%
Argyll and Bute4 25 23 22 21 20 20 18 -28%
Clackmannanshire 17 21 20 19 17 11 11 -34%
Dumfries and Galloway 9 9 8 8 18 18 28 211%
Dundee City 182 193 199 188 168 167 177 -3%
East Ayrshire 67 60 61 70 77 74 65 -2%
East Dunbartonshire 10 10 10 10 7 26 25 154%
East Lothian 11 10 15 19 14 10 10 -9%
East Renfrewshire 21 24 19 19 17 18 16 -23%
City of Edinburgh 100 97 88 72 87 77 64 -36%
Falkirk 85 86 91 83 75 69 64 -24%
Fife 129 128 132 126 129 129 120 -6%
Glasgow City 552 533 504 471 449 425 424 -23%
Highland6 80 74 66 66 66 66 66 -18%
Inverclyde 123 120 136 78 75 73 93 -24%
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park4 5 5 2 2 2 1 1 -85%
Midlothian 18 12 12 11 13 13 22 22%
Moray 12 12 7 7 8 8 8 -34%
Na h-Eileanan Siar 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 -12%
North Ayrshire 223 218 218 215 199 181 176 -21%
North Lanarkshire 171 171 159 157 157 157 169 -1%
Orkney Islands * . . . . . . -100%
Perth and Kinross4 16 41 40 38 38 37 36 130%
Renfrewshire 173 166 165 152 99 95 82 -53%
Scottish Borders 28 27 26 26 24 22 21 -26%
Shetland Islands 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 -67%
South Ayrshire 32 31 32 25 24 23 18 -43%
South Lanarkshire 119 127 122 115 116 94 86 -28%
Stirling4 44 33 32 35 32 28 26 -41%
West Dunbartonshire4 20 21 15 14 16 16 15 -24%
West Lothian 64 74 74 74 74 37 39 -39%
Scotland 2,456 2,451 2,389 2,236 2,138 2,020 2,060 -16%

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

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

3. During 2019, historical data for the years 2013-2019 were updated as a result of improved information. This included removing sites that should not have been included in previous years, adding sites that should have been included earlier and making any required changes to site size. Further information on this process is available in the Annex along with un-amended historical data for the survey years of 2000-2012.

4. 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.

5. Previous SVDLS bulletins have used different base years for percentage change and so these percentages should not be compared with those in previous bulletins.

6 Highland has not updated their survey since 2015 so their 2019 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.

10.6 Glasgow City has consistently had the highest amount of urban vacant land in Scotland for the period 2013-2019. Nine authorities had 100 hectares or more of urban vacant land in 2013, five have recorded 100 hectares or more in 2019.

Chart 5 – Change in area of Urban Vacant Land in authorities which had 100 hectares or more in 2013
Chart 5 - Change in area of Urban Vacant Land in authorities which had 100 hectares or more in 2013

Contact

Email: planstats@gov.scot

Back to top