Resident Survey

NC500 Ltd’s mission is to promote the North Highlands and foster sustainable regional growth. While the organisation is proud of the economic benefits generated, it acknowledges the valid concerns surrounding the effects of increased visitor numbers on local communities and the environment. Addressing these issues is critical to the long-term success of the route and its local communities.

To guide future development, NC500 Ltd has commissioned BiGGAR Economics to create an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Framework. This framework, which measures an organisation’s holistic impact on the environment, communities, the economy, and corporate accountability, will evaluate the NC500 Ltd’s sustainability and ethical footprint. It is imperative that this framework is co-developed with input from residents living along the route. Your input is therefore highly valued, and we would be grateful if you could please complete this short survey. Please note that responses must be submitted by midnight on the 23rd of December 2025.

We want to reassure you that your privacy is protected: we will not ask for any personal information that could identify you, and all data provided will be aggregated and analysed alongside findings from our separate surveys for businesses and visitors. Thank you in advance for your input.
Introductory Questions

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* 1. Which area best describes where you live?

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* 2. How long have you/your family lived in this area?

Sustainable Tourism Outcomes

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* 3. Sustainable tourism is the management of visitor activity to take full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts. Sustainable tourism can be defined by the long-term positive outcomes it helps to achieve.

Please rank the following sustainable tourism outcomes in order of importance to you, from top (most important) to bottom (least important).

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* 4. Are there any other sustainable tourism outcomes that you would like to see associated with the NC500? If so, please specify in the box below.

Adequate Infrastructure

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* 5. On a scale of 1 to 5 (Never to Daily), how frequently do you experience difficulty accessing/using the following facilities because of crowds and queues during peak tourism season (April – September)?

  1 – Never 2 – Rarely 3 – Sometimes 4 – Often 5 – Daily
Local shops and services
Public toilets
Public parking
Public bins

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* 6. On a scale of 1 to 5 (Never to Daily), how frequently do you observe detrimental traffic congestion during peak tourism season (April – September)?

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* 7. On a scale of 1 to 5 (Never to Daily), how frequently do you experience difficulty as a result of road deterioration along the NC500 route near where you live (eg. delays, vehicle damage, safety concerns)?

Carbon-neutral Tourism

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* 8. Have you noticed an increase in the number of electric vehicle charging points in your area?

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* 9. Do you feel safe cycling along the NC500 route near where you live?

Economic Prosperity

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* 10. Have you noticed any of the following over the past 10 years? Please select all that apply.

Equitable Distribution of Tourism Benefits
We want to reassure you that in completing this section we will not ask for any personal information and when reporting our findings all information will be aggregated.

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* 11. Are you employed in services related to tourism, i.e. hospitality/retail?

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* 12. If Yes, do you have a permanent employment contract?

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* 13. Do you have a property you rent out to tourists?

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* 14. If you answered ‘Yes’ to the previous question, please provide a rough estimate of the annual rental income of the property.

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* 15. If you own a rental property, what is the average annual occupancy rate of your property during the following periods?

  Less than 20% 20 – 40% 41 – 60% 61 – 80% 81 – 100%
During peak season when the NC500 is busiest (April - September)
During low season when the NC500 is quieter (October - March)
'Leave No Trace'/No Waste

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* 16. On a scale of 1-5 (Never to Daily), how frequently do you observe the following waste along the NC500 route during the peak tourism season (April - September)?

  1 – Never 2 – Rarely 3 – Sometimes 4 – Often 5 – Daily
Litter
Human or Chemical Waste

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* 17. Do you observe the following waste less frequently during months where there is less tourism (October - March)?

  Yes No
Litter
Human or Chemical Waste

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* 18. Please provide examples of littering, toileting and/or improper disposal of human or chemical waste that you have observed.

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* 19. When you observe littering and/or improper disposal of human and chemical waste, how often do you report it?

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* 20. If applicable, who do you report it to?

A Flourishing Environment

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* 21. Have you noticed any visible signs of damage near where you live from the increased number of visitors along the NC500 route (erosion of verges, off-road vehicle tracks, campfire scars) over the last 10 years?

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* 22. If applicable, please provide examples of the visible signs of damage you have observed.

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* 23. Have you noticed a change in wildlife sightings in your local area over the last 10 years (including less frequent sightings or changes in the behaviour of wildlife)?

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* 24. If applicable, please provide examples of changes in wildlife sightings that you have observed.

Responsible Behaviour

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* 25. On a scale of 1 to 5 (Never to Daily), how frequently do you observe the following behaviours during the busy season (April - September)?

  1 – Never 2 – Rarely 3 – Sometimes 4 – Often 5 – Daily
Damage or vandalism to community and/or public property.
Traffic congestion or witness dangerous/irresponsible driving (eg. blocking passing places).
Disturbance from vehicles and people (eg. overcrowding in shops).
Activity that could lead to a wildfire.
Other forms of anti-social behaviour.
Thriving Places

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* 26. On a scale of 1 to 5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree), please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements.

  1 – Strongly Disagree 2 – Disagree 3 – Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 – Agree 5 – Strongly Agree
“Tourism helps support the local shops and services I rely on.”
"Tourism provides job opportunities for people in my community."
"Living in an area that is popular with tourists means I often have the opportunity to talk to different people that I wouldn’t otherwise meet."
"I, or someone I know, has formed a long-term connection with someone who visited the area on holiday.”
"Seeing people enjoy the area makes me feel proud of where I live.”
"The presence of visitors makes where I live feel lively and positive.”
Engaged Communities

Officially launched in 2015, the organisation “NC500 Ltd” is the official body behind the North Coast 500 route and was created to promote business growth in the North Highlands.

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* 27. On a scale of 1 to 5 (Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree), please indicate how strongly you agree or disagree with the following statements.

  1 – Strongly Disagree 2 – Disagree 3 – Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 – Agree 5 – Strongly Agree
“I trust the NC500 Ltd leadership team to act in the best interests of the local area.”
"I believe the NC500 Ltd leadership consider the views of local people when making decisions."
"If I had a concern about how the NC500 Ltd was operating, I would know how to raise this with them."
"I believe the interests of local people are adequately represented on the NC500 Ltd board.”
"I believe the interests of local businesses are adequately represented on the NC500 Ltd board.”
"I believe the interests of the environment are adequately represented on the NC500 Ltd board.”
Closing Question

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* 28. Is there anything else you would like to tell us?

Many thanks for participating in this study. Your input is highly valued.

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