Councillors form Action Plan for Riverside

10.31.12am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 16th Oct 2007

Liberal Democrat Councillors in Bath are to form an Action Plan to tackle problems of graffiti, litter and vandalism affecting public spaces by the River Avon and to improve the facilities in these areas.

Councillors Caroline Roberts (Lib Dem, Newbridge) and Andy Furse (Lib Dem, Kingsmead) are leading a group of riverside ward Councillors and Bath & North East Somerset Council officers which will formulate an Action Plan to improve the riverbanks and tackle problems more systematically than has previously been attempted.

Councillor Furse said:

"We have always tackled problems of graffiti, litter and vandalism by the river as they arose, and some good suggestions have come out of this approach such as growing vegetation up walls to discourage graffiti. However what is needed is an approach which will look at the whole area, seek long term improvements and find ways to prevent these recurrent problems."

Councillor Roberts said:

"With the development of Bath Western Riverside coming up, we have a golden opportunity to get to grips with all the issues around the riverbanks. We are looking at the problems with officers from the relevant Council departments (cleansing, cycling, public realm etc), in order to form a longer-term plan. Apart from cleansing issues, we particularly want to focus on improving signage, the width and quality of footpaths and cycle-ways, the quality of bins and benches and green spaces."

"We are planning to kick things off with an Environmental Action Day next month and it is hoped that the day can also be used to consult path users and local people on plans for improvements to the area. This is a great chance make the river area more pleasant for residents and visitors to Bath."