Milton Environmental Group has been looking into the possibility of generating electricity at Bait’s Bite Lock. This is one of the action points raised in the recent Parish Plan survey. The Environmental Group has just been awarded a grant from the Lottery which (together with funding from South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Community Chest) will enable it to conduct a feasibility study of the site.

The Environmental Group is interested to see what type of designs might be available for this sort of site in a Conservation Area. The Group has seen a proposal for one at Jesus Lock in Cambridge, which was quite small above the ground, with the water channelled into a turbine chamber underground at the side of the river.

Something like this would certainly be enough to power the houses and offices by the lock and also feed electricity into the Grid. If the grant-making authorities decide it is worth doing then for a community group like the Parish Council much of the cost would be paid for by grants.

Some similar projects have become charitable companies and sold shares in the scheme to local people, in order to raise money for the project.