Green & Blue Futures

Developing the Socio Economic Potential of Waterway Corridors9th & 10th October 2013, Clonmel, Co Tipperary, Ireland

How can waterways deliver social and economic benefits to the nation?

Tony Harvey – Head of National Programmestony.harvey@canalrivertrust.org.uk

• The canals of • England & Wales

The decline of our canals

Supremacy of the railways

The renaissance of canals

Canals today

Launch of the Canal & River Trust

Our Governance

Council

Income for the first 9 months of the Trust

Fundraising

The first year – social and economic benefits delivered? months)

Green & Blue FuturesCANAL & RIVER TRUST UK Charity / Nav.

Authority€0.69 21%

PROVINCE OF WEST FLANDERS

BE Regional Authority €0.43 13%

SCOTTISH WATERWAYS TRUST

UK Charity / Nav. Authority

€0.56 17%

PROVINCE OF HAINAUT BE Regional Authority €0.62 19%

SOUTH TIPPERARY COUNTY COUNCIL

IR Regional Authority €0.45 14%

REIUSSIR EN SAMBRE FR Regional Dev’t Agency

€0.42 13%

SCOTTISH CANALS SC Local Public Authority

€0.08 3%

Measuring public benefits

• NSS uses a multi-criteria analysis approach to combine a range of indicators, using appropriate weights and scores

• Indicators have been developed for maintaining the network, public usage and customer experience and there is evidence of these wider benefits and their value from recent and ongoingstudies

National Stewardship ScoreBW stewardship

score

Objective 1: Maintaining the

network

State of assets

Objective 3: Delivering public benefits

Functionality of network

Asset-related safety

Customer experienceUsage Other public

benefits

Ease of use of user

operated mechanisms

Bank protection condition

Serviceability of principal

assets

Towpath condition

Non-compliant channels

Number of unplanned closures

Condition of principal assets

Customer incidents relating to

infrastructure failures

Boat licences

Propensity of holiday

boaters to recommend

Number of towpath visitors

Propensity of boat owners

to recommend

Propensity of destination visitors to

recommend

% score for staff being

friendly, helpful and

conscientious

Condition of SSSIs

Employee incidents relating to

infrastructure failures

Heritage compliance

Propensity of towpath

visitors to recommend

65 35

55 1530 5545

12.5 25 20 12.5 15 15

50 50

1585

20

20

2020

20

70 15 15

Measuring public benefits• Canal River Trust uses Network Stewardship

Score (NSS) to measure progress against strategic objectives:1. Maintaining the network 3. Delivering public benefits

• Waterways deliver a range of other public benefits (health, environmental, heritage, community and recreational) which are currently omitted not part of the NSS

The Canal & River TrustScope for new thinking -data can be aggregated to enable us to understand information on socio economic benefits:

• Short-term user benefits where visitor numbers/enjoyment responds to improved condition

• Longer-term benefits and risk management: through maintenance in comparison to the benefits of short-term functional investment

• Physical health and wellbeing benefits: where the physical exercise generated by the canals can be monetised

•Tony Harvey – Head of National Programmes• Tony.harvey@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Conclusions

The Future