What measures are being taken to restore vacant and derelict industrial land to productive use; how many hectares of such land were reclaim…

Planning guidance states that a priority is placed on the re-use of vacant and derelict land as a contribution to regeneration of older urban areas and as a means of reducing demand for greenfield sites.Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise undertake a range of projects to bring derelict, neglected or unsightly land or buildings into economic use under their Environmental Renewal powers.Information from the Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey shows that the number of hectares of reclaimed land for 1996 was 688 ha, for 1997 it was 990 ha and for 1998 it was 823 ha. In 1998, local authorities recorded 12,212 hectares of vacant and derelict land in Scotland.1, 2Notes:1. The Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey includes only that vacant land which is either located within an urban settlement (with a population of 2,000 or more) or which is located within 1km of such settlements, which would commonly be considered as having the characteristics of urban vacant land. Sites covering less than 0.1 ha are excluded.2. Figures given for reclaimed land may underestimate the total as not all local authorities completed a return.