CEP and partners to study the value of bathing waters in Scotland

CEP and partners commissioned by the Scottish Government to study the value of bathing waters in Scotland

CEP, with partners Economics for the Environment Consultancy (eftec) and experts from The South West Research Company (SWRC), University of St Andrews, University of Surrey and Mercatus Research, has been commissioned by the Scottish Government to study The Value of Bathing Waters and the Influence of Bathing Water Quality in Scotland.

CEP will be leading a multi-disciplinary team in developing a detailed and quantifiable socio-economic understanding of the current and future value of bathing water quality to Scotland and how water quality influences bathers, beach users and the national and local economies.

This study will provide the Scottish Government with key information on existing designated bathing waters and benchmark values to support decision-making relevant to the cost/benefit of driving further improvement to bathing water quality classifications under the revised Bathing Water Directive (BWD).

The socio-economic values explored will consider the wider aspects of Scotland’s reputational value for environmental excellence, and include less tangible values relating to health and wellbeing (e.g. benefit of being near blue spaces). These validated reference values will be used in policy development and decisions when assessing new sites and managing existing protected area designation (including de-designation).

CEP's Dr Peter Phillips is the project manager.

TimberLINK evaluation stakeholder seminar

Photo credit: 'Inveraray' by Julian Berry on Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

TimberLINK evaluation stakeholder seminar

CEP's Dr Peter Phillips and Tom Matthew of Reference Economic Consultants delivered a stakeholder seminar as part of the TimberLINK  environmental and economic evaluation, undertaken for Forestry Commission Scotland.  

The seminar took place on Tuesday 25 October in Inveraray, Scotland, and was attended by a range of forestry and timber transport stakeholders from Argyll, Ayrshire and elsewhere in Scotland. Stakeholder participants were presented with the draft results of the evaluation. There was then an opportunity for discussion and feedback to help validate and refine these results.

The results of this seminar and the overall evaluation will inform considerations about the future operation of the TimberLINK service beyond the current funding period which ends in March 2017.

CEP commissioned to evaluate TimberLINK

Photo credit: 'Kintyre' by John Lord on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

CEP is Undertaking the Environmental and Economic evaluation of TimberLINK for Forestry CommissioN SCOTLAND

CEP, in association with Reference Economic Consultants and the University of Strathclyde, has been commissioned to undertake an environmental and economic evaluation of TimberLINK for Forestry Commission Scotland.  

TimberLINK is an environmental transport initiative which commenced in 2000 and is designed to provide a sustainable alternative to road haulage. The service, supported by the Scottish Government, ships around 80-100,000 tonnes of timber a year from forests in Argyll to processors in Ayrshire across the Firth of Clyde. As well as helping to ensure economic development around the local ports, the service has been estimated to remove around 8,000 lorry journeys a year from roads between Argyll and Ayrshire.

CEP is carrying out the evaluation of TimberLINK to inform the decision on the future of the service beyond the end of the current funding period in March 2017.

CEP's Dr Peter Phillips is managing the project under the direction of Dr Bill Sheate.