Current status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme, what plans it has to review the definition of "long-term vacant", which is currently 15 years for derelict properties and land.
There are no plans to review the definition of long-term vacant with regard to the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP).
Each application received will be assessed by the Independent Investment Panel. Projects concerning sites that have been vacant and derelict for fewer than 15 years are not ineligible.
15 years registered does provide a marker for a significant length of time that indicates market forces alone will not be likely to bring the site back into use. However where a site has potential to become long term vacant and derelict, a project proposal may be able to justify bringing forward investment to unblock its reuse.