Baits Bite Lock and Jesus Lock Islands

For Frequently asked questions, please follow the link: FAQ's
For enquiries related to the stabilisation of Baits Bite Lock Island, please contact the Clerk to the Conservators of the River Cam:

E: clerk@camconservators.org.uk; Mob: 07549 018909

20/06/2025 - BAITS BITE UPDATE

The project manager received the works design today from the designer and distributed it to involved parties. The principal contractor is currently reviewing this design against their proposal for works. Conservators will issue a further update next week.

13/06/2025 - BAITS BITE UPDATE

The Baits Bite Lock Island Stabilisation Project continues to make progress through the detailed design and planning stages.

As a complex and environmentally sensitive scheme, it has experienced some delays, mainly due to the extensive survey work and ecological considerations required to ensure the proposed works do not negatively impact the surrounding environment.

Recent investigations – including underwater dives and ecological surveys – along with earlier studies such as topographical and utility surveys, trial pit excavations, geotechnical testing, and the installation of monitoring devices, have identified two high-priority areas requiring remediation.

As a result, the design approach has been refined, including the adoption of diver-placed cement bags to address site-specific challenges.

Environmental concerns, particularly the presence of birds and bats, are being actively managed in line with the latest ecology survey findings. Coordination with the Environment Agency is ongoing as final design details are confirmed.

For safety reasons, the site remains closed to both pedestrians and boat traffic. In the meantime, the project team is continuing to develop the design and engage with the contractor in preparation for the next phase of works. This remains a high-priority project, with a focus on delivering a robust solution that is both environmentally responsible and achievable with our limited budget.

The project team intends to issue the final design and proposal to the client by the end of this month. This will pave the way for site works to begin in late June or early July, with completion targeted before the end of 2025.

05/06/2025 BAITS BITE UPDATE

Last week (on 29 May), as part of finalising the design plans for the stabilisation work, a dive survey at Baits Bite Lock confirmed the extent of the damage on the offside (river side) of the lock island. This is considerable in places, having washed away sections of the wall, exposing the wooden piling foundations, which are themselves eroded, and the flow of water over the years has created sizeable voids behind the island wall that will need to be filled.

The dive survey also revealed a bulge in the offside wall, above the riverbed but below the water line.

Considering this, at yesterday's meeting (3 June) of all parties involved in the project, it was clear that the design is going to have to be reviewed and changed. To help with this, we have commissioned a bathymetric survey to profile the riverbed on the offside, to give us a better idea of where to place the rock bags needed as part of the stabilisation work.

Sand martins and bats have been observed around the lock, so we have also commissioned an ecological survey to see if the martins are nesting, and the bats roosting, in the lock structure.

Video footage from the dive, along with the divers' detailed report, is being reviewed this week, and on Tuesday next week (10 June) the project teams will meet again to agree to the necessary changes to the design.

We will issue another update after that meeting.

06/05/2025 BAITS BITE UPDATE

Costs :

Overall, costs have reduced slightly from £1.514m to £1.510m due to variance between forecasts and actuals. 
The Project is approximately £12k under the approved £1.523m budget. 
The £1.140m construction sum and £113k risk allowance unchanged; some risk allowance has been spent already on the enabling works.

Programme:

The principal designer will issue the design document today. The principal contractor will price this, it will go to the reviewer for review, and then to the Conservators for approval as below.
The revised programme has been issued to the reviewer, and the principal contractor. 
The principal contractor’s reviewed proposal will be tabled for decision by the Conservators on 27 May 2025. 
Assuming Conservator’s approval, mobilisation for the start of start of the stabilisation phase of the Project will be the following day, Wednesday 28 May 2025. 
Current forecast completion date is 19 August 2025, including three weeks of weather risk allowance.

Key risks 

Principal contactor price for stabilisation work is too high and needs to be negotiated.

Inclement weather causing a delay longer than the allowed three weeks.

03/04/2025 BAITS BITE UPDATE

CONSERVATORS STATE:

We remain committed to opening Baits Bite Lock as soon as possible. As you can appreciate, with a project of this scale, there are inevitable unforeseen delays. The project is progressing well, and we are currently at the stage of soil testing and awaiting the final designs. It is anticipated that the project will not be completed before August 2025.

07/02/2025 BAITS BITE UPDATE

The Conservators are pleased to announce that progress has been made on the construction contract for the stabilisation project at Baits Bite Lock Island. The enabling phase commenced on 29 January 2025.

Conversations have been ongoing with Members of Parliament, Environment Agency, and local authorities to seek external support in expertise and funding. These have been positive and the short and long-term issues facing the Conservancy have been taken seriously.

Matched funding has been offered by the City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council to appoint temporary expert help to produce a business case and review of the Conservancy’s future.

Further updates will follow.

19/12/2024 BAITS BITE UPDATE

CONSERVATORS STATE:

A number of issues, not the least of which is the complexity of the project, mean that we have not yet been able to finalise the contract with the principal contractor. This is delaying the start of works despite the contractor being otherwise ready to begin, but at this stage the expected date of completion remains May/June 2025.

The Conservators are pleased to report that we have been working closely with the local authorities to bring additional expertise and practical help into the Conservancy from 1st January 2025.

04/12/2024 LOCK ISLAND UPDATE

The Conservancy remains committed to addressing matters related to appropriate contracts required for the work at Baits Bite lock island, the Conservators are optimistic that these matters will reach a positive resolution soon. There have been some unexpected delays in appointing the principal contractor and finalising the contract and subsequently has delayed the project schedule. It is now anticipated that the completion of the stabilisation project will be May/June 2025.

The Conservancy continues to engage in productive discussions with external authorities and agencies, with a dual focus: securing financial support to mitigate the cost of the stabilisation of the lock islands and in the long-term solution of rebuilding the locks.

07/11/2024 BAITS BITE UPDATE

The Baits Bite Lock Island stabilisation project is now nearing the end of the initial planning and preparation phase. It is hoped that the Enabling Work will begin within the next few weeks allowing for all the necessary information to be gathered to create the detailed plans and timetable for the stabilisation phase.

Recognising the need of the boat users to understand the timeframes concerned with this work, as much information as possible has been sought from the project management team and contractors involved. Conservators have been reminded that these estimated dates may change for a number of reasons, including agreement of the scope of work, costs, the weather, and the environment.

At the moment it is anticipated that the results of the Enabling work will have been assessed and incorporated into the scope of works December 2024/January 2025 time, and that the Stabilisation work is expected to begin around February 2025. It is currently estimated that the stabilisation work will take between 8 - 11 weeks dependent on environmental circumstances, cumulating in the monitoring phase when it is hoped that the lock will be opened again for navigational movement of vessels April/May 2025. Subject to change.

24/10/2024 LOCK ISLANDS UPDATE

The state of the lock islands at Baits Bite and Jesus Green is presenting challenges to the Conservancy. Visual and underwater camera surveys show that the fabric of both locks is unstable and vulnerable to collapse. Both lock islands carry public footpaths over the river, and the footpath at Baits Bite was closed by Cambridgeshire County Council at the same time as the Conservancy closed the lock and remains closed.

Both locks will require stabilisation work to make them safe in the short term and rebuilding in the medium term. The immediate stabilisation work is likely to cost around £1.5 million per lock, with the need greatest at Baits Bite. Rebuilding the locks is likely to cost at least £5 million each, probably more. Funds for the immediate stabilisation work are not readily available to the Conservancy, and the medium-term rebuilding of the locks is beyond the Conservancy’s financial means. The Conservancy’s income comes almost exclusively from fees, which just cover routine operations and it receives no additional funding for capital works.

As a result, the Conservators are exploring potential sources of external funding. Since the damage was reported, the Conservators of the River Cam have commissioned further surveys and appointed an external project management team, beginning with the immediate stabilisation work at Baits Bite to reopen the navigation safely as soon as possible. The Conservators are about to appoint the principal contractor for the work.

The Baits Bite stabilisation project will have four phases: Planning and preparation. This includes the appointing of the project management team, principal and other contractors, and ensuring that all regulations governing building work, and Construction (Design and Management), health and safety at work, etc. will be met. Enabling works. These include investigation, preparation, and assessment of the site, and ensuring an appropriate design and understanding of the scope of the works required. Stabilisation works. Even just the lock island stabilisation is a significant engineering project. Monitoring. When the stabilisation works at Baits Bite are complete there will need to be a monitoring phase to ensure that the lock is safe to reopen.

The Conservators will use the experience gained at Baits Bite in the Jesus Lock stabilisation project. The Conservators want to be in a position to safely re-open the navigation as soon as possible, but it will not be possible to open the Locks until this work has been done. The Conservators’ principal concern is safety – the safety of members of the public, river users, and the Conservators’ staff and contractors.

The Conservators will give regular updates during the Baits Bite stabilisation project.

22/08/2024 LOCK CLOSURE UPDATE

The Conservators of the River Cam are currently in the process of appointing appropriate contractors and professionals in order to undertake the stabilisation of the lock islands. We are hoping to appoint the relevant experts as soon as possible. At this present time we have no indication of when the locks might open again.We do appreciate this is very frustrating however The Conservators are working to address the situation.

24/07/2024 LOCK CLOSURE UPDATE

Over recent weeks, since we first closed the locks, the Conservators have sought further expert reviews regarding the threats to the historic lock island structures, the impact of opening the locks on the structures and the nature of the work required to stabilise them. Based on this expert advice and in view of the increasing movement at the lock islands, particularly at Baits Bite, Conservators consider that in the interests of public safety we cannot justify opening the locks or lock islands until the lock islands have been stabilised. We recognise that this will cause great concern and inconvenience for powered boat users. The lock islands are being monitored regularly in the meantime. In the coming weeks additional information about the repairs will be clarified and this will be communicated as soon as possible.

21/05/2024 LOCK CLOSURE INFORMATION

Due to safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the lock islands at Baits Bite and Jesus Green, the decision has been taken to temporarily close the locks until further notice. More detailed structural investigations will be undertaken and a plan for remedial works developed urgently. The Conservators are engaging with the Environment Agency and Local Authorities to seek a coordinated approach.

Further information: The Conservators of the River Cam are responsible for the navigation (the river) from Mill Pool in Cambridge to Bottisham Lock (Waterbeach) and the locks in between, namely Jesus Green Lock (JGL) in Cambridge and Bait’s Bite Lock (BBL). Each lock has an island between the lock chamber and the sluice and weir structures, which it supports. At both Jesus Lock and Baits Bite Lock, the Conservators own the lock and lock island, while the Environment Agency (EA) own and operate the sluice and weir. In addition, the lock islands support footbridges and public right of way in these locations, which are managed by the relevant Local Authorities.

Following observations of cracks in both lock islands, early in 2024 the Conservators of the River Cam commissioned structural surveys. The consequent reports identify significant structural fragility in the lock islands and a need for reinforcement work in the short to medium term. The Conservators have collectively reviewed the reports and are urgently drawing up a detailed risk assessment, commissioning more detailed surveys, and developing a project plan for remedial works.

Baits Bite Lock and Jesus Lock Islands

13/06/2025 - BAITS BITE UPDATE

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07/02/2025 BAITS BITE UPDATE

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The Conservators are pleased to announce that progress has been made on the construction contract for the stabilisation project at Baits Bite Lock Island. The enabling phase commenced on 29 January 2025.

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