News / New Cut
Vegetation to be cleared from walls of New Cut
A senior Green Party councillor says it is “sad” that vegetation will be removed from next to the New Cut but is “vital” to ensure it is not causing damage to the walls.
Work has now started on the project which will see plants, grass and weeds removed from both sides of a three-mile stretch between the Create Centre and Bedminster Bridges.
The structural inspection of the brickwork will ensure that any necessary repairs can be made to the walls of the New Cut, which was dug between 1804 and 1809 to carry the tidal River Avon so the Floating Harbour can remain at a constant level.
is needed now More than ever
The New Cut walls stabilisation project section on the Bristol City Council website says: “We need to remove vegetation, including plants, grass and weeds from both sides of the New Cut river walls so we can assess any structural damage and plan in the repairs.
“Under the guidance of ecologists, this work will start on Cumberland Road from the Create Centre and move along the New Cut towards Bathurst Bridge.
“It will then cross to other side of the river to Coronation Road, starting from the Texaco Garage and going towards Bedminster Bridges.”
The vegetation clearance started on October 28 and is expected to take around three months to complete.
The council says that “it will mean sections of pavement will need to be closed temporarily, but it should not impact the roads”.
Part of Cumberland Road and the Chocolate Path collapsed into the New Cut in January 2020 – photo: Bristol City Council
Ed Plowden, chair of the transport & connectivity committee at City Hall, told the Bristol Post: “While it will be sad to see greenery removed, it’s vital that we repair the river walls and make sure the vegetation is not causing damage.
“To plan the repairs in, we must carry out a structural inspection of the brickwork, which does need to be clear of vegetation.
“All these works are part of a wider £11.9m New Cut river walls stabilisation initiative aimed at securing and reinforcing high risk river walls along the New Cut of the River Avon and protecting the transport infrastructure alongside it.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read next:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
