Great to see B&NES employees out on Pulteney Weir today clearing away a bit of a log jam.
Quite a number of trees had come down river during the recent heavy rains and lodged themselves at either end of the weir beneath Pulteney Bridge.
It’s a bit of a dangerous job – with the fast flowing waters of the River Avon to contend with – so well done to them. Actually saved me a job. I was going to send an email having finally found out who is responsible for that particular stretch of the water.
In recent days the Virtual Museum has contacted everyone from the Avon Navigation Trust to the Canal and River Trust to try and discover who it was might send a team to clean up this beauty spot before the city’s Easter visitors begin arriving at the official start of the annual tourist season.
Cleaning up the river seems to have captured the attention of quite a few organisations – according to an on-line ‘newsletter’ a friend of mine received from B&NES on March 14th.
It is apparently the first electronic newsletter – dated March 1st – for something called ‘The River Avon Project in Bath and North East Somerset.’
In a section entitled ‘Vision to transform Bath’s river and canal’ it talks about the launch of a study to look at new ways in which these systems could be used.
l quote:
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“Bath & North East Somerset Council, the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency and Wessex Water will work together in the jointly funded Water Space Study with the aim of identifying projects to transform and revitalise the waterway network in the area.
The study will gather new evidence about how the waterways are used nowadays, where historically rivers and canals were heavily used for industry, business and trade, they are now used increasingly for sports and leisure.
Engaging with local communities, it will look at regeneration, development and environmental opportunities along the River Avon between Bath and Keynsham, and along the Kennet and Avon Canal between Deep Lock and Limpley Stoke Viaduct.
The study will look at all aspects impacting on the river and canal, including how land is managed, boat moorings, river navigation by boats, leisure and recreation opportunities and environmental gains.
The project partners will be working with local consultancy firm Atkins, which has been involved in many environmental-based river restoration work and marina developments, including the rejuvenation of the London 2012 Olympic Park canal network.
The project is due to conclude its recommendations in March 2017. Opportunities for public engagement are being planned for summer 2016.
For information on the river and canal and the Water Space Study, visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/riverandcanal or email RiverAvon@bathnes.gov.uk.”
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