Rebuilding collapsed weir could cost council £2.2m

Councillors are to decide whether to spend £2.2m on rebuilding a collapsed weir or to allow a river to return to its natural state.

Middle Mill weir tumbled into Colchester's River Colne in December 2023, bringing a footbridge down with it.

While the bridge reopened in September, the future of the weir, which helps control water flow and depth, remained in limbo.

Colchester City Council's cabinet is due to vote on Wednesday evening on a proposal to build a new weir further upstream.

Meeting papers showed if councillors decided to do nothing, the river at Castle Park would still require maintenance at a cost of £5,000 per year.

This would bring great benefits to the waterway, including restored riverbanks, richer habitats and pollutants being filtered out, one council report suggested.

It stated if the Liberal Democrat-led council did decide to rebuild at a cost of £2.2m, it would need to borrow some of the money.

"Given that the bridge has now been repaired at Middle Mill, there is no environmental or financial benefit to reinstating the weir," it reads.

But not replacing it could restrict water access to a canoe club, who have instead been offered a site behind the nearby cricket club.

The site is also used by anglers, swimmers and paddle boarders.

The BBC revealed in October that repairs to the adjoined footbridge have already cost the authority £900,000.

Council leader David King described it as a crucial walking route for many living in the city.

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