Economic benefits of canals to consider in your plan:
- encouraging the use of waterways as tourism attractions
- promoting waterways as catalysts for urban renaissance and as tools for improving urban and housing offers
- promoting waterways as catalysts for rural development, regeneration and diversification
- encouraging the development and improvement of waterway infrastructure in support of small and medium-sized enterprises and jobs
- promoting innovative uses of the waterway infrastructure – eg. the use of towpaths as telecommunication routes
- encouraging the improvement, development and restoration of waterways, including new waterway links
Waterside development, regeneration and restoration
Canals can act as a catalyst for the development of the property alongside them. For example:
- improvements to canal environments have been shown to bring forward the development of previously vacant or underused sites
- their linear form means that canals can also help integrate discrete development schemes
- attractive development can enhance the vibrancy and vitality of an area
- property developments at waterside locations command a premium value when compared to other schemes
- the uplift in land values brought about by development that positively addresses waterside locations can assist in making sites more viable for redevelopment
There are many regeneration schemes which include waterways.
