Bath & North East Somerset Council is set to spend £1.85 million to draw up plans to build a small hydroelectric power plant in the middle of Bath, just in front of Pulteney Bridge.
The Pulteney Radial Gate on the River Avon | Photo © John Wimperis
The Pulteney Radial Gate, which sits next to the city’s iconic triple-stepped Pulteney Weir, is “at the end of its life” and the council is drawing up a business case for replacing the 1970s structure.
One option being investigated is to replace it with a hydroelectric power scheme, able to generate enough electricity from the flow of the Avon to power Bath’s Guildhall.
The council plans to allocate £1.85 million, funded through corporate-supported borrowing, in its upcoming capital budget for preparing a business case for all options, including hydroelectric power.
The money will cover the cost of the business case and design work, but more funding would be needed to actually construct the scheme.
The council carried out a feasibility study into the idea last year.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service at the time, council leader Kevin Guy said: “This feasibility study is the most exciting and ambitious inner city hydroelectric project in Europe, and it is part of our commitment for the council estate to be carbon neutral by 2030.”
The city has form for finding surprising ways to make use of its landmarks. The city’s hot springs, which led the Romans to establish the city’s eponymous bath complex two thousand years ago, are now used to provide heating to Bath Abbey, the Roman Baths and Pump Rooms museum complex, and the Bath World Heritage Centre.
The capital budget is separate to the revenue budget, where continuing pressures on adult social care costs have led the council to once again propose increasing council tax by the maximum 4.99%. Strict rules keep the two budgets separate.
Council tax cannot be used for capital schemes and borrowing cannot be used to cover the day-to-day expenses of the revenue budget, although interest payments on borrowing have to come out of the revenue budget.
A paper on the capital budget going before the council cabinet states: “The existing radial gate is operated and maintained by the Environment Agency (EA) who now deem the unit as being at the end of its life, and they are looking to transfer responsibility to the council.
“A business case for all options is to be developed, including following up the feasibility studies for hydroelectric power within the existing wide gate channel, currently being undertaken as part of the council’s decarbonisation programme.
“Any installation needs to be synchronised with the rugby stadium redevelopment’s demolition and construction programme.”
Bath Rugby received planning permission for its major plans to build a new stadium on the Recreation Ground last year. The plans would involve a redevelopment of the riverside close to the Pulteney Radial Gate.
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s capital and revenue budgets will go before its cabinet on 12th February, before going to a vote at the full council meeting in Bath Guildhall on 24th February.
John Wimperis, Local Democracy Reporter
