Crucial work to Bristol harbour’s flood defences could delay the reopening of the Chocolate Path

Crucial work to bolster Bristol harbour’s flood defences will take until June next year – and could delay the reopening of the Chocolate Path, says Marvin Rees.

Bristol City Council cabinet rubber-stamped spending £1.75million from the Environment Agency to fix the Underfall Yard sluices, a bill that has risen by £500,000 despite the project not starting since officers described it as “urgent” in December 2021.

But the city mayor told the meeting that the structures, which control water levels at the Floating Harbour, had been neglected for many years, so there was “a risk” that the work could have an impact on timescales for the Chocolate Path, which is due to reopen at the end of next month.

The crumbling pedestrian and cycleway, alongside Cumberland Road, has been closed for five years on safety grounds and was part of a 40-metre section of the embankment and heritage railway which collapsed into the River Avon New Cut in January 2020.

Work to rebuild the wall and reinstate the Chocolate Path has already suffered delays, with the council finally confirming in January that the footpath would now reopen in May, three months later than expected because of “obstructions underground”.

Answering questions from newly elected Cllr Patrick McAllister (Green, Hotwells & Harbourside) at cabinet on Tuesday, April 4, Mr Rees said the “provisional target date” to complete the sluices repairs was June next year.

The Labour mayor said: “But it’s a complex project, the sluices have been neglected for many years and there is a possibility of some complexity, so we are going to lock down on those timescales as we find out more about the work.”

Cllr McAllister said: “The Chocolate Path runs over the sluice gates into the New Cut, and you’ve got the continued operation of Underfall Yard nearby as well.”

He asked whether these activities, including the “repair and reopening of the Chocolate Path”, would be impacted by the sluice works.

Mr Rees replied: “There is a risk that will happen, but obviously in the project management of this we are trying to minimise the likelihood of those risks coming true, and if they do come true, how do we minimise the consequences of that interference with those other works.

“I’m sure you are aware that so many aspects of the physical Bristol, from bridges to roads to the sluices to the harbour walls, seem to not have been serviced properly for the last 60 years and are coming to a critical point of needing maintenance at the same time.

“So unfortunately it doesn’t just mean there is a huge financial challenge for us, it means a huge logistical challenge about how we organise that work and deliver that work in a way that those unintended crossover negative consequences are minimised.”

Asked how likely this was to happen, the mayor added: “I would hesitate to put a score out of 10 on a likelihood of that.

“I’m just going to say it’s a risk, because that’s the real world.

“But we will be happy to share the progress of that work as we go forward.”

He told the meeting: “The docks’ sluices at Underfall Yard are not operating correctly and need investment to repair and prevent potential flooding and damage to the docks’ infrastructure and local businesses.

“Ensuring the sluices are in their best possible condition is critical to maintaining the Floating Harbour which is such a key part of the city’s identity.

“The works will be fully funded by the Environment Agency, which is incredibly positive news in these financially challenging times.”

The sluices have provided a critical defence from tidal flooding from the Avon since 1840 but some of the infrastructure is over a century old.