By Maurice Fells
AROUND 300 supporters of a campaign to protect the Downs gathered on the parkland last month, urging the council to take action over its increase in van dwellers and deteriorating condition.
The two-mile walk, organised by Protect the Downs campaign group, started at the water tower and ended at the sea walls.
Clifton resident Tony Nelson, chair of the Protect the Downs campaign, said the walk was “not a protest” or a “negative campaign” but “an event where people who love the Downs can show their support for the Downs.”
He added that the protest was the march was “not just about [the van dwellers]. The Downs has become a dangerous place.
“We want the council to realise that hundreds of people want them to protect this area.”
A higher turnout was expected at the event, but 300 arrived to call on the council to protect the area, which Mr Nelson says has become a “sink”.
He added: “It is rat infested, people drive across the grass and damage it.
“The van dwellers are responsible for over-crowding of the area, causing obstructions.
“Walk around the Downs and you’ll see human waste dumped on open grassland.
“It’s unhealthy and the council should do something to stop it.”
Mavis Hale, who regularly walks on the Downs with her dog, told the Clifton Voice: “When I moved to Bristol and bought a house on the edge of the Downs, it was such a beautiful place. There were very few caravans, now more of them arrive almost every day and they spoil the view.
“I’ve written to the council several times, but I’ve never had a reply. I pay more than £3,000 council tax and expect the council to keep the Downs tidy and clean, but they don’t do anything.”
At a committee meeting in June, Green councillor Paula O’Rourke said that action on caravans and Travellers on the Downs is “needed quicker”.
Housing chiefs at Bristol City Council are currently drawing up a new policy for van dwellers, but this won’t be signed off until the end of the year, despite impatience growing.
Council lawyers are also getting ready to apply for a possession order, which should quell the“unprecedented” period of a high number of encampments of Travellers pitching up on the grass.
About 800 people live in vehicles in Bristol, with over 100 of these on the Downs. Numbers jumped during the pandemic, as rents shot up and became unaffordable for many people. A new policy for vehicle dwellers is due to be published in December.
The Downs committee was urged once again to act sooner, during a meeting on June 9. In response members said the matter was one for the council.
• Includes reporting from Alex Seabrook, LDRS reporter