Announcement on Timings for Tumbling Bay Weir Bridge Repair Expected Soon

Published on: 4 Oct, 2022
Updated on: 6 Oct, 2022

The well-used towpath that crosses Tumbling Bay Weir has been closed since the dramatic collapse in November 2019.

By Martin Giles

The National Trust “hope” to be able to put forward a spokesperson to be interviewed by the Guildford Dragon on the continuing closure of the River Wey navigation towpath at Millmead “very soon”.

The towpath has been closed for almost three years following the dramatic collapse of the Tumbling Bay Weir together with its footbridge in November 2019.

See: National Trust Refuses to Answer Questions on Tumbling Bay Weir Repair

A subsequent temporary repair did not restore the footbridge over the weir and the popular towpath route, used by pedestrians and cyclists to and from areas south of the town, remains closed.

Initially, responsibility for the weir was disputed between Guildford Borough Council (GBC) and the National Trust (NT) but it now appears to be acknowledged that ownership of the weir is solely NT’s.

After apologising for the delay in responding to The Dragon, a spokesperson said: “We’re not in a position to give an interview currently but we hope to be able to very soon. The reason being is we are working hard behind the scenes on moving this forward with Guildford Borough Council.

“As you know both parties are committed to a permanent solution for the weir repair and footbridge, and I am hopeful we can be more transparent and give some much-needed clarity on timings soon. We will of course give you the first interview regarding this and we will prioritise talking to the residents’ association [St Catherine’s Village Association] also.

Cllr John Rigg

The lead councillor for Regeneration at GBC, John Rigg (R4GV, Holy Trinity), responded: “We at GBC dearly wish to identify a solution here and welcome any initiative by those responsible to deliver a full restoration of the Tumbling Bay weir and footbridge. It is owned by the National Trust and the towpath provides access to and from the town so is very important to both residents and visitors. I look forward to hearing the interview.”

Responses to Announcement on Timings for Tumbling Bay Weir Bridge Repair Expected Soon

Tim Wolfenden Reply

October 9, 2022 at 6:58 pm

Perhaps in the interview the National Trust could be reminded that they have £453,000 that was committed by Guildford Borough Council in 2019 from Section 106 planning contributions for improvements and upgrade works to the navigation and River Wey towpath between the A25 (Ladymead) and St. Catherine’s, which includes the Tumbling Bay stretch.

I understand this money is yet to be spent, and using it for a new, upgraded footbridge to allow access across the weir would seem sensible.