Using Contingent Ranking to Estimate the Loss of Amenity Value for Inland Waterways from Public Utility Service Structures

A contingent ranking exercise was used to estimate the amenity loss for recreational users associated with pylons, overhead cables and pipelines along canals. Over 80% of canal users were willing to pay higher utility bills to reduce the number of service structures found along canals. Aggregated across all canal users, mean annual willingness to pay for a 1% decrease in service structures was estimated to be nearly £750,000. The implications of these findings could be significant in any future negotiations between British Waterways and those companies responsible for siting pipelines and cables along canals. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1998