On Monday 24th March, St Alban’s Church in Westbury Park was overran with residents and van-dwellers attending a meeting to discuss the caravans on the downs.
By Hannah Stainbank, 2nd year English
There were an estimated 60-70 vehicles parked on the downs that are being used as residences. Many permanent residents spoke out against this growing trend, with hygiene issues, littering, and road safety being the primary causes of concern.
Around 600 people attended the meeting, with 150 of those being denied entry as the church was full.
Councillor Barry Parsons, chair of the Homes and Housing Delivery Committee, spoke to those waiting outside the church to hear their thoughts before beginning the meeting. There was heated debate about how best to solve this issue, with many residents aiming to see the caravans removed as quickly as possible, while others called for a solution to the underlying housing crisis.
Some residents suggested passing byelaws to prevent overnight parking in an attempt to quickly displace the van-dwellers.
Cllr Parsons, on his Green Party profile, states he is working to ‘tackle homelessness’ and ‘make life better for vehicle dwellers’. He recognises that the issue of van-dwellers on the downs stems from a growing housing crisis and economic issues in the wake of the pandemic.
Cllr Parsons spoke about a commitment to drafting a policy using insights from both permanent residents and van-dwellers that could take a year to implement, instead of passing quick byelaws. Though many residents were in favour of moving the van-dwellers on as quickly as possible, Cllr Parsons aims to adopt a city-wide approach that addresses the underlying housing crisis in order to mitigate the need to live in a vehicle.
Many attendees were unsatisfied with this, suggesting that they should refuse to pay council tax until the caravans are removed.
Another proposed solution is the creation of more ‘meanwhile sites’. These temporary sites offer a place for people to park their caravans and access water, toilet facilities, and waste disposal, away from public spaces such as the downs. As it stands there is space for 65 vans, with covers only 10% of the estimated number of vehicles used as residences in Bristol.
The Homes and Housing Delivery Committee and the council will continue to tackle this issue, though it may take a while for there to be a solution that is satisfactory and fair for both permanent residents and those currently living in vehicles.
