Archimedes' screws at river will be 'awesome'

12:00pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

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WORK to transform a whitewater course by combining modern technology with ancient science could start this year.

The plans to overhaul the course at the Tees Barrage, near Stockton, include installing four 12 metre-long by three metres in diameter Archimedes' screws to pump water through the course.

A website outlining the plans has received 2,000 hits since it went online in mid- June and feedback has been positive.

Funding bids have been made to regional development agency One NorthEast and Sport England for nearly £3m in support.

Together with contributions from British Waterways, and the local authorities of Stockton and Middlesbrough, this would enable the £3.5m upgrade to proceed.

Subject to the funding bids being approved, the scheme should be able to start in November, and be completed by summer next year.

The Tees Barrage whitewater course is one of the proposed Olympic training camps for the 2012 Olympics, and was visited by Lord Coe last week.

The water course improvements are central to the Stockton-Middlesbrough Initiative's (SMI) 20-year vision to create a city region and develop miles of the River Tees corridor between the neighbouring towns.

SMI's director, Les Southerton, said: "We are all delighted with the response to these proposals which have the potential to generate a great increase in visitors to the area and bring new investment.

"They have attracted interest from white-water course enthusiasts all over the country, clearly showing the highlevel of demand for a sports facility of this calibre."

When not needed to pump water around the course, the four screws will use excess river water to generate electricity, making the course sustainable in energy terms.

As well as researching on the website, a wide range of river users visited a day-long exhibition, where the plans were revealed for the first time. The visitors included people who enjoy activities at the barrage, those who worked in the area when it was industrialised and interested members of the public.

Fred Hartley, senior projects manager for British Waterways, which runs the Tees Barrage, said: "It's really great news for us that the proposals have attracted so much support, as the level of design and sustainability is of the highest quality.

"We're committed to making the white-water course one of the top courses in the country, and indeed the world, and in doing so attracting some of the best competitors and canoe enthusiasts from around the world."

Key designers for the water course are EDP Design, Newcastle, S&P Architects, Manchester, and the Patrick Parsons company, Newcastle.