MANY BOATERS WILL have noticed the barge moored in Bristol Harbour that was bought for £1.4m.
But it will soon be gone as it is to be dismantled and scrapped.
12 years of negotiations
The 137ft Ebenhaezer was purchased by Bristol City Council in 2019 following, it is estimated, 12 years of negotiations with its owner, to clear the way for development.
But nothing has been spent on its maintenance and it is told that the cost of repairs now outweighed the cost of restoration.
It was in 2019 that plans for purchasing the boat and its moorings were approved by the Bristol City Council, with a developer threatening to pull out of its proposed work unless it was moved soon.
Council officers decided buying the Ebenhaezer, relocating it, and paying for legal and other associated costs was the most cost-effective way to break the impasse.
Boat was unsafe
But the council determined the boat was unsafe in December of last year and the costs of the work required outweighed what its value would be if it was restored.
It not known where its parts will go but the authority told there would be no income expected from its scrapping.