Bath’s last big industrial relic – the solitary framework of a gas holder – will be gone from the city’s skyline by Christmas.
This long-standing landmark was all that was left of the old Windsor Gas Works. Two of the three gas holders on the site have already been removed to ground level.
Bath was one of the first cities in the Uk to manufacture its own town gas.
The site is part of the 400 million pound residential and retail re-development of former industrial land by the River Avon – now referred to as Bath Riverside.
Decontamination associated with this will take around 18 months, before construction work in the west of the site can begin.
In addition to the 300 homes completed to date, a further 1,700 are due to be built by 2025.
The development is being undertaken by Crest Nicholson who invited the Mayor of Mayor, Cllr Cherry Beath, along today to officially open an Energy Centre to provide heat and hot water to serve the needs of the site’s residents.
In partnership with energy company E-on UK the new unit has involved the conversion of a former Wessex Water pumping station on Midland Road.
I asked Neil Dawtrey – who is Senior Projects Director for Crest – to explain how the Energy Centre will function.
E-on’s Head of Community Energy, Jeremy Bungey told invited guests that district heating units were common in mainland Europe but were now starting to catch on in the UK.
When the new centre at Bath Riverside really gets going it will save up to 1,000 tons of C02 a year – that’s equivalent to taking 400 cars off the road.
It’s hoped to arrange educational visits for schools – and other parties – in the near future.
