B&FRHT

9.1 The economic case cannot yet be fully ascertained as the full extent of costs have not yet been calculated as these will themselves depend on a wide variety of factors such as the cost of rehabilitation of the existing infrastructure with what facilities to provide where and at what location.

9.2 Long term the reports will need to consider non-economic benefits to the local area when generating an economic case. These will need to bear in mind the findings of the Report on the value of Heritage Railways by an All Party Parliamentary Group on Heritage Railways from July 2013.

This report will take into account the direct and indirect benefits to the local communities in the area as well as any support that the Trust can provide to maximise those benefits to the local communities.

9.3 It is also likely that B&FRHT (Phase 4 and the complete programme) will bring other benefits to the area. These tend to be harder to quantify, some involve estimating changes in land-use as a result of the line. These sorts of potential impacts, not quantified in this report, include:

Enabled development: housing, or commercial development (or redevelopment), which is enabled as a result of the scheme. The Trust believes that this would be more from restoration or rebuilding of existing houses or through the support of the Snowdonia Enterprise Zone.

Other wider effects on labour markets, investment and supply chains, these are also areas where the line has the potential to generate benefits that are beyond those in the transport market.

9.4 B&FRHT will continue to consider the wider range of benefits and impacts of the project and will continue to work with relevant parties on how the B&FRHT will help support and enable plans or growth in the area.