Turbo Island tarmacked over after complaints

By Sofie Kwiatkowski, News Reporter

Turbo Island, a well-known piece of land in Stokes Croft has been tarmacked over weeks after fences were first erected.

The area was considered by some to be a hotbed for anti-social behaviour, with fires often lit on the patch of land, prompting Avon Fire and Rescue Service to be called out a total of 44 times between April and July this year.

Turbo Island came about from a building which was bombed during the Second World War and never rebuilt, turning into an advertising hoarding in the sixties that is now owned by London-based billboard advertiser 'Wildstone'. It became a common haunt for street drinkers, named after their favourite drink - a Turbo.

Police had reportedly noticed a post-lockdown increase in incidents reported,  including street drinking, campfires and drug use.

The Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft criticised the redevelopment on their website:

'As if a slick of tarmac is going to have any impact on the problems, or in any way soothe the deep social ills which increased street dealing and addiction are symptoms of.'

Further, they note that, although there have been some 'nasty dealers' in the area recently, many of the people who 'hang out on Turbo Island have been a part of the local community for decades.'

This complex issue was mentioned by the mayor in a tweet, who simply cited '@BristolWaste' for cleaning the site, adding that he 'welcomed the landowner' trying to prevent any more anti-social behaviour.