Failing to act could result in “catastrophic collapse” and “potential loss of life”
A further £8m is needed to carry out repairs along New Cut, a new report states(Image: Bristol City Council)
Rapid erosion along the New Cut could threaten lives if the riverbank is not repaired in time, a new report warns. Bristol City Council is seeking to budget an extra £8.2m to fix walls along the waterway, on top of £10.5 million already spent or allocated for repairs there – but it acknowledges this would only be enough to fund a short-term solution.
Three additional locations have been deemed “emergency sites” which pose a “very substantial risk” in the event of a collapse, on top of 11 sites that the council was already worried about. The new areas of concern are the river wall between Vauxhall Bridge and Bristol Metal Spraying, the Co-Op Wall east of Vauxhall Bridge and the rock faces near Gaol Ferry Bridge.
“We’ve already started a programme of stabilisation works to prevent further catastrophic collapses, including repairs near Bedminster Old Bridge and either side of Banana Bridge alongside York Road, as part of this phase of work,” transport and connectivity committee chairman Ed Plowden said.
“However, our latest inspections show that we need to plan in new emergency works to stabilise the riverbank along Commercial Road and seek funding to invest in further works.”
After part of the wall along Cumberland Road collapsed in 2020, the council undertook a full inspection of the New Cut river and harbour walls. The Chocolate Path was closed for years while the area was stabilised during £12m works, before reopening in September 2023.
“Some of our New Cut river walls are more than 200 years old, and they haven’t been maintained properly over that time because of lack of resources and investment going back many years,” Councillor Plowden explained. “The river walls have been steadily deteriorating and without appropriate funding, there is a risk of more collapses, which could lead to road closures, flooding, injury, or worse.”
Along with the £8.2m in additional short-term funding, the report says a further £10m a year will be needed for the next five years for ongoing risk management. The estimated repair costs of the three new sites alone is anticipated to be almost £38.6m, according to the new council report, with construction anticipated to commence in the 2026-27 financial year.
The report states: “The ongoing and accelerating deterioration of the remaining New Cut Wall assets is inevitable, and with the original [report] noting 67 assets rated as being in a serious or critical condition, capital investment is essential. Lack of investment is very likely to lead to higher overall costs and it likely to necessitate increasing levels of reactive emergency funding well into the future.
“If this flexible strategy is not adopted, officers will not have the ability to pivot quickly in response to developing situations and there will be a significantly increased risk of a catastrophic asset collapse/failure and a subsequent potential for loss of life, closing of strategic highway routes thus exposing the authority to potential legal action and major reputational damage and environmental damage.”
In a YouTube video showing the New Cut riverbank alongside Coronation Road, the council said the soft mud along the riverbank is being washed away by the tide, undercutting the rocky riverbank above it. It said tree roots had also cracked the rocks, and “large boulders have already broken away”. Further along, near Vauxhall Bridge, an old riverbank wall is “collapsing” and loose masonry can be seen.
Further long-term investment will be needed to secure the harbourside infrastructure for decades to come, with the report calling for regional and central governments to step in to provide a cash injection. “The capital investment required to mitigate these risks in the short and longer term is substantial and far outstrips available capital funding,” the report states.
“As such officers recommend engaging both regional and central government to identify further funding opportunities.”
Councillor Plowden said the collapse of the wall along Cumberland Road in 2020 was “a real wake up call”. He added: “It is clear to see how much the river walls and rock faces along parts of the New Cut have deteriorated over time, especially after we removed a significant amount of vegetation along the river last year, as part of our ongoing monitoring works.”
The report’s findings and the proposed budget expansion will be discussed during the next meeting of the Transfer and Connectivity Committee on July 8.