By David Adams, Land Commissioner with the Scottish Land Commission

FOR many decades, Scotland has not done enough to tackle the blight of abandoned buildings and parcels of vacant and derelict land in our cities, towns and countryside.

Recent data from the Scottish Government shows that there are around 11,600 hectares of vacant and derelict land in Scotland – an area almost twice the size of the City of Dundee. The problem has remained intractable and the headline figures have not changed substantially since the late 1990s. Furthermore, Shelter Scotland claims there are more than 37,000 long-term empty homes in the country.

There is strong research evidence from a number of studies that unrealistic owner expectations of what land might be worth is partly responsible for semi-permanent vacancy. And contrary to popular perception, urban vacancy and dereliction in Scotland is now primarily a matter of private, not public, land ownership.

So I am glad that the Scottish Land Commission has now published detailed proposals for the introduction of Compulsory Sales Orders (CSO) to reinforce the toolbox of legal powers available to tackle vacancy and dereliction. CSOs would give planning authorities a straightforward mechanism to bring small parcels of land that have lain unused and unloved, back into productive use.

Under the proposals, local authorities would have the right to exercise a CSO and equally a community council – or appropriate community body – would be able to request that a local authority investigate a site for a CSO. If a CSO were granted then the specified parcel of land – or abandoned building – would then be sold by public auction to the highest bidder, who would be required to redevelop or re-use it within a specified period of time.

Both public and private organisations would be able to bid for the land for productive and valuable uses, such as residential or commercial development, urban greenspace or recreational amenities. As many people know from personal experience in their own localities, bringing vacant land back into productive use can be of direct benefit to communities across Scotland. As the new powers would be discretionary, it would be for local authorities to decide on a case-by-case whether to exercise them. It is as a power of last resort; councils and land owners should be working together to try to find solutions first.

So why is the new power being proposed? In part, because the problem has remained stubborn. And because – while they are often small – such vacant and derelict sites act as magnets for crime and anti-social behaviour. This damages quality of life for existing residents and can deter investment, making it more difficult to bring about long-term regeneration and renewal.

It is a problem that particularly affects people living in Scotland’s most deprived communities.

Scottish Government figures estimate that a third of us live within 500 metres of a derelict site. In part of the Central Belt, this figure is much higher, reaching 61 per cent in Glasgow.

Keeping land or buildings vacant when someone else could put them to beneficial use, is patently not in the public interest. So, if we want Scotland’s land to become more productive and equitable we need to consider mechanisms such as Compulsory Sale Orders (CSOs).

While not a silver bullet, it has the potential to make a significant difference, particularly in Scotland’s most deprived communities where vacancy and dereliction is at its most intense.