Scotland’s canals have attracted a staggering £1.53 billion of investment since the re-opening of the Lowland inland waterways in 2002, according to the latest economic impact study commissioned by Scottish Canals.
The recent study, carried out by Peter Brett Associates, found that the transformation of Scotland’s canals into vibrant, animated and popular corridors of leisure, tourism and business has acted as a catalyst for an extraordinary £1.53 billion of investment, contributing to the creation of thousands of new houses and jobs.
The report also revealed that the pace of change has accelerated over the last three years, coinciding with the first Marine Tourism Strategy ‘Awakening the Giant’, with a 250% increase in investment in the canal corridors compared to the previous period (2010- 2015).
The latest report, which tracks the economic performance of Scotland’s canals between January 2016 and June 2019, reveals that over 2,100 FTE roles and 4,400 construction jobs have been created – up 6.5% on the previous period.