Press Release
SANDOWN DERELICTION SURVEY HITS 1000!
A public survey asking local people how Sandown’s problem with derelict buildings is affecting their lives was launched by Sandown Town Council on 5 June 2025. After just 11 days it had reached its original target of 1000 replies. If you haven’t had a chance to join in, or don’t have easy access to the internet, you can still have your say online or using the printed versions of the form that will be available at the Broadway Centre and at Sandown Library, until July 18th when the survey will close.
The town council is also working with The Bay School to gather opinions and concerns about the same issues from the perspective of young people, an essential part of the exercise.
Mayor Alex Lightfoot explains why the consultation was begun: “We know that Sandown continues to be significantly impacted by derelict, damaged and demolished buildings. Tackling these one at a time, with the limited legal and policy tools available is difficult and frustratingly slow without access to the large sums needed to simply buy them all through compulsory purchase orders. We must continue to pursue all of these regulatory routes but gathering evidence of the total effect of dereliction on the daily lives of the people who live, work and visit here, on the health of individuals and the community at large, will help us to demand the support and investment that the town urgently needs and deserves from government at every level. This will include the new devolved authority which may well improve access to CPO.”
Some of those engaging with the dereliction survey have asked about its format and the choice of questions. Cllr Ian Boyd answers: “The Sandown Dereliction Survey has been informed by the great work of the Scottish Land Commission and its Vacant and Derelict Land Taskforce which has proven effective and influential. Their initiative was driven by the realisation that almost a third of the Scottish population lives within 500m of a derelict site; in some inner-city neighbourhoods this figure is as high as 55% and this was considered so serious that immediate action was necessary. In Sandown it is 82% and this is clearly unacceptable.”
The impact that dereliction is having on people of all ages in the town is clear in the comments that the survey is receiving, here are just a few examples:
“This space makes me feel unsafe, everybody who comes into the restaurant I work at down the road says how they don’t like coming to Sandown anymore because there is nothing here and it all looked horrible.”
“Creates an air of depression for the area. Relatives & friends who visit from the mainland are shocked at the state of Sandown. It looks like a deprived area. Having grown up here it is a sad state of affairs. We have discussed moving away from the Sandown area.”
You can access the online survey here: https://www.sandowntowncouncil.gov.uk/the-sandown-dereliction-survey-2025/ and the hard copies at Sandown Library (open Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9.30 to 12.30, and 1.30 to 5) and the Broadway Centre (open Monday to Friday 9 to 12).