HUNDREDS of people turned out for a meeting about the caravans on the Downs.
St Alban’s Church in Westbury Park had to limit the numbers inside to 450 and it was estimated another 150 were outside.
The turnout at the meeting on March 24, organised by Sneyd Park Residents Association, shows the strength of feeling about the community of people living in vans in the area.
Some van dwellers attended the meeting with local residents to hear Cllr Barry Parsons, the Green chair of the city council’s homes and housing delivery committee and his Conservative deputy Cllr Richard Eddy outline their ideas for dealing with the growing number of van dwellers.
‘We will listen to your feedback’
COUNCILLOR Barry Parsons, chair of the Bristol council committee responsible for housing, has thanked residents of Westbury Park, Sneyd Park, Stoke Bishop, Henleaze and Westbury for their involvement in debate about van dwellers on the Downs.
Following a meeting at St Alban’s Church on March 24, attended by 450 people, with another 150 outside, Cllr Parsons gave a statement to the Voice.
He said: “The meeting was really valuable, and I want to offer my thanks to the organisers for allowing us to be able to listen to the views and concerns of the residents and vehicle dwellers who attended. We want to have a real, direct and relevant conversation about vehicle dwellers in the city.
“We understand that the current situation is not sustainable, and this meeting provided an opportunity to listen to what residents have to say and reassure them that we are taking a proactive stance on addressing issues.
“The number of vehicle dwellers in Bristol has grown significantly in recent years and we recognise the challenge this brings. We acknowledge that this is a complex situation, and we want our new policy to balance offering support to vehicle dwellers, alongside considering the needs of local communities.”
The meeting was organised by Sneyd Park Residents Association because of concerns over the growing numbers of people living in vans on the Downs and the impact this has on both local residents and the vehicle dwellers.
It was an opportunity for Cllr Parsons, the Green chair of the city council’s homes and housing delivery committee, and his Conservative deputy Cllr Richard Eddy to outline what the council had been doing since it came to office last May and what it intended to do.
People at the meeting, who included van dwellers as well as people with houses in the area, had the chance to ask questions and to voice their opinions.
Many residents said they wanted to see action now.
Former Conservative councillor for Westbury & Henleaze Sharon Scott told the meeting that she used to receive complaints weekly about the van dwellers and that she and colleagues had made some suggestions of possible solutions to the previous administration.
These included a law banning parking and the identification of potential sites with facilities that could be used for van dwellers.
“The Downs was left to the people of Bristol to enjoy. It was never supposed to be used in this way,” she said.
One of the current Lib Dem councillors for Westbury & Henleaze, Caroline Gooch, who helped organise the meeting, told the Voice that she and fellow ward councillors had also been working on the issue since before they were elected.
In his statement, Cllr Parsons said the policy being developed would take time.
“It will look to refresh the way vehicle dweller encampments are managed, providing a clearer process and explanation for when action will be taken. The emphasis will be on support and not enforcement.
“We understand that there are a variety of different opinions and issues across the city, and we want to make sure we produce a policy that reflects this range of views. As part of the engagement process we will need to speak to a range of different people, including some potentially vulnerable vehicle dwellers. Any engagement is something that we will carefully consider and not rush into. This not only ensures the safety of vehicle dwellers but also means we have the time and space to consider local residents’ feedback. We will be holding a number of engagement events as we draw up the policy, to make sure that as many people as possible are able to inform our work and help us come up with a balanced and sustainable solution.
“We know that we need to reduce the need for so many people to live in vehicles, and remain committed to increasing the number of well-built, affordable homes in Bristol so that people have a safe and secure place they can call home.”
The council estimates that there are 640-680 vehicles in the city in which people are living, About 100 of these are thought to be on the Downs.
The figure, which has rocketed since the pandemic, includes 65 on five so-called ‘meanwhile’ sites, with access to water, lavatories and waste disposal. The council hopes to create more of these sites.
People live in vans for a variety of reasons including the cost of living, specific vulnerabilities, seasonal work and lifestyle choice.