Green tourism planning: triple bottom line sustainability – rhetoric or reality. A case study of the Bluestone development.

Abstract

Title of the dissertationGreen tourism planning: triple bottom line sustainability - rhetoric or reality. A case study of the Bluestone development.SupervisorProfessor Eleri JonesDirector of Research, Cardiff School of Management, University of Wales Institute, CardiffInstitution awarding the Ph. D. DegreeUniversity of WalesDate of defence13th December 2007Goal and objectives of the dissertationGoalThe goal of this dissertation was to evaluate the achievability of triple bottom line sustainability (TBLS) and whether in this particular case study, i.e. the Bluestone development partly in the Pembrokeshire National Park in West Wales, it could be regarded as rhetoric, reality or a guiding fiction. This development is particularly interesting as it is half in a National Park where the environment, under National Park regulations, should have the first priority. The Bluestone development involved a number of public-sector stakeholders who prioritised different aspects of the triple bottom line depending on their remit resulting in policy conflict. The case study investigated the motivations of key stakeholders in the process of approving the development in a National Park. The Bluestone case study emphasised the tensions between economic, social and environmental considerations.Objectives* Undertake a critical review of relevant literature on sustainable tourism development with a particular focus on TBLS and stakeholder theory.* Identify issues relating to the operationalisation of sustainable tourism development and TBLS through a live case study of the Bluestone project in west Wales which resulted in a costly and time-consuming legal battle over planning permission.* Explore the discourse underpinning the policies and perspectives of the different stakeholders involved in the Bluestone project.* Make recommendations to enhance the potential for achieving TBLS.MethodologyThis research involved two main phases. Phase one was exploratory and involved the development of a case study of the Bluestone development in West Wales through the analysis of date collected through convergent interviews, document analysis, archival records and direct observation in two field visits to Pembrokeshire. Phase two was explanatory and involved discourse analysis through letters, e-mails, document analysis and nine in-depth semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders involved in the Bluestone development to better understand stakeholder interpretations of the concept of sustainable development. Stakeholder theory is used as a framework to explore the implications of alternative interpretations of the concept sustainability by the various stakeholders involved in the Bluestone development.ResultsPhase one of the research involved the exploration of the Bluestone development. The proposed site for the Bluestone development straddled the boundary of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park with half the development inside the National Park and half outside the National Park. This meant that the developers had to apply for planning permission from two different planning authorities - Pembrokeshire County Council and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. The interpretations of sustainability by these two authorities were very different. For Pembrokeshire County Council with high unemployment and few high-quality jobs higher priority was placed on economic development and employment opportunities than on the environmental agenda. In contrast, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority is mandated by law to make the environment the highest priority. The promise of a large number of jobs put enormous pressure on the National Park Authority to grant planning permission to the development. This resulted in the Council for National Parks challenging the legality of this decision and taking the Authority to the High Court resulting in a long and costly legal battle. …