Another protest planned over Royal Victoria Park’s dried-up pond

A year on from a rally held in Bath’s Royal Victoria Park to protest about the dried-up duck pond, another protest is being planned.

How the pond in the park now looks

Campaigners took along banners to an “apolitical” rally on Sunday 21st September 2025 to highlight concerns about the pond.

They will be gathering again at noon on Sunday 20th September as they say the pond has fallen into further decline.

Royal Victoria Park’s pond was previously fed by the Georgian Springs. However, the Georgian Springs were deteriorating and causing localised flooding issues for several properties.

The original feed was disconnected, meaning the pond relies on rainwater to fill up naturally. Long, dry and hot spells, and the effects of climate change, have compounded the problem.

The lining has also been damaged, which the council has tried to fix, but the pond has continued to lose water over time.

In a recent update on the pond, Bath & North East Somerset Council said interim ways of restoring water levels were being tested over the summer, ahead of longer-term plans to secure a permanent water supply.

“Following a first phase of feasibility studies by Bath & North East Somerset Council and Wessex Water to map potential water sources which began in summer 2025, the council will continue to remove silt and debris from the pond, investigate how severely the liner is leaking and take steps to make repairs.

The pond is now overgrown

“Temporary ways to increase water levels in the pond will be explored, including diverting rainwater from the roof of the Temple of Minerva and the stream at the edge of the Great Dell. The cascade from the Botanic Garden will also be cleaned and repaired.”

The Echo this week took pictures showing the sorry state of the pond, with no sign of life in or around it.