Bristol City Council is seeking supply chain interest in an upcoming contract for the Bedminster Green River Restoration scheme worth an estimated £2.4 million.

The Council is engaging with the market ahead of issuing a procurement opportunity for River Restoration Works at Bedminster Green.

The Bedminster Green River Restoration is a scheme aiming to restore a portion of the River Malago in Bedminster, delivering environmental and public realm enhancements as part of the wider Bedminster Green Framework for regeneration.

The plans centre on Plots 1, 3 and 5, which the River Malago flows through within the Bedminster Green Regeneration area.

The project aims to restore the Malago to a more natural river channel, by opening it above ground into Bedminster Green. Alternating sections of shallow, fast flowing stretches and deeper, slower flowing stretches would create a variation of habitats for a wider range of species.

The proposals are set to improve the biodiversity in the river by over 50 per cent and on the river banks by over 10 per cent.

The river is currently unnaturally wide and straight - plans include narrowing the river channel to reduce sediment from building up when water levels are low, which will provide a better habitat for invertebrates and spawning grounds for fish.

When water levels are high, the river will be able to spill into a wider channel and flood storage area, reducing flood risk to Bedminster.

The river restoration project is also set to provide more than 2000m³ of water storage capacity which will reduce the flood risk to not only the newly built and proposed Bedminster Green developments, but also to the wider Bedminster area, reducing not only flood extents but also flood depths by up to 40mm.

Bristol City Council is also proposing to improve some of the river’s dilapidated historic infrastructure, including metal work around the original ‘penstock’ sluice gates. In the past these managed the flow of the river to the factories of Bedminster to which it powered.

Photo: existing, dilapidated historic metal work in the River Malago channel.

Having been granted planning permission, the council will now look to appoint a contractor to begin construction work on the river restoration works in Plot 3, and further updates will be provided in due course.

River restoration work on Plot 1 and Plot 5 will take place in future phases, in-line with the associated development plot’s construction timeframes.

Current estimated start and end dates for the contract are 30 August 2025 to 1 October 2026.

Deadline for requests to participate is 6 June 2025 - contact name is Mr Chris Cowley and email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it