Select Committee on Scottish Affairs Minutes of Evidence

APPENDIX 1

MILLENNIUM LINK—SUMMARY OF BENEFITS

Direct—Construction and Operation of the Restored Canal

Regeneration	£78.381 million investment
	—  110 km length of the canal environmentally enhanced
	—  120 ha of canal/adjacent land benefiting from environmental improvements
	—  290 FTE construction jobs
	—  70 per cent plus of employment within a 30 mile radius of the site
	—  500 construction training places
	—  40 FTE operation and maintenance jobs safeguarded
Tourism	1.75 million additional visitors pa due to canal improvements
	—  £6 million pa of spend associated with informal visitors
	—  120 FTEs at Partnership Areas, 25 FTEs at the Scottish level
	—  £3.1 million pa of spend associated with additional boating use
	—  100 FTEs at the Scottish level
Social Inclusion	Opportunity to create employment and training initiatives targeted at disadvantaged areas experiencing economic exclusion and environmental disamenity
	—  New Deal—  Welfare to Work employment placements
	—  Environmental Task Force
	—  Voluntary Sector
	—  Intermediate Labour Market
	—  Community Economic Development Linkages
	—  Sustainable Development

Indirect—Development of Sites across Central Scotland

Tourism	The Link will create a corridor of tourism opportunities at key nodes along the canal.
	—  5 significant visitor attractions (200,000 visitors pa)
	—  15 smaller attractions (50,000-70,000 visitors pa)
	—  2 million visits pa producing spend of £24 million pa
	—  650 FTEs at Partnership Areas and 465 FTEs at the Scottish level
	—  50 Tourism SMEs along the corridor
	—  20 Community businesses employing 100 FTEs
Business Sites	Major development sites along the canal corridor released or enhanced by the project
	—  4 major development sites identified, with potential, in areas of market demand
	—  Enhanced environment of restored canal stimulating developer interest within 5 years
	—  Areas of potential include Glasgow; Kirkintilloch; Falkirk/Grangemouth and West Lothian and Edinburgh
	—  Potential to accommodate 2,800 net FTEs and generate income of £56 million
	—  Interest from housing developers based in the unique opportunity afforded by the canal
Regeneration	Opportunities to stimulate, strengthen and integrate the regeneration process.
	—  Enhancement of existing regeneration activities eg Port Dundas/Ruchill corridor
	—  450 FTE jobs created from site development and remediation works associated with tourism and business projects
Social Inclusion	Build on partnership activities to increase training and employment opportunities.
	—  500 construction training places related to new tourism development
	—  Community Economic Development Linkages
	—  Affordable housing in sustainable communities

  (Source—taken from DTZ Pieda Report, February 1998)

---

---

Prepared 19 December 2001