About the project
The Bath River Line (BRL) will create a linear park following the River Avon from Batheaston to Newbridge. Covering 10km, the BRL will connect beautiful green spaces and city landmarks, tempting pubs and peaceful water meadows.
Creating a high-quality route for walking and cycling is key. But the BRL will also offer opportunities to stop, sit back and enjoy the beauty of the river, the city, and the landscape beyond.
There will be places to play and places to meet, places for art and spaces to discover Bath’s rich heritage. The wildlife found along the river will be celebrated and protected.
By revealing the Avon in all its glory, the BRL will go beyond the Georgian glamour to explore a lesser-seen side to the city.
This project is designed to give people a bigger say and will also help to address the climate and ecological emergency.
How you can help
Bath & North East Somerset Council, together with partners, is developing a Landscape Master Plan – a vision for how the BRL will look and feel in future.
Many of you have already answered surveys or consultations on the river. Thank you, that information is shaping the next stage of the project.
As the BRL moves forward we want to hear more from people who already use parts of the park, or would like to do so in the future. What do you love, and what could be better? What would improve the experience along the path and the parks along the way? To have your say, click here. The BRL is also seeking your memories of working and living alongside the river. To share your stories, click here.
Please note: The map above shows the proposed route in green, with the potential eastern routes shown with a dashed line.
Due to the size of the Bath River Line project, it will be taken forward in phases.
The first phase covers the western section, from Newbridge to Bath Quays. A later second phase will consider the eastern section (from Pulteney Weir to Batheaston). This section of the route will be defined following further consultation and is shown indicatively as a dotted line. A final phase will consider the central section, from Bath Quays to Pulteney Weir.
How we got here
The idea for the Bath River Line emerged from the WaterSpace Project – a collaboration between Bath & North East Somerset Council, the Canal and Rivers Trust, the Environment Agency and Wessex Water.
Published in 2017, the WaterSpace Study identified a series of projects to revitalise the River Avon and Kennet & Avon Canal waterways for people and nature. The River of Avon Park (as it was known) eventually became the Bath River Line: a linear riverside park for Bath.
For more information on the WaterSpace Project and to read the original study, please click here.