‘I feel helpless’: Van dwellers stuck in cramped space on Bristol’s historic Downs | Housing

Callum watches nervously from the darkness of his cramped, graffiti-covered caravan, which he shares with a small tabby kitten. It’s not much, but the alternative is the streets.

Two weeks ago he almost lost the caravan he calls home when Bristol City Council began removing inhabited vans from a tree-lined driveway through a historic park in the north of the city.

“It was horrible, it was overwhelming. [The council] “I took the caravans of some people who weren’t there at the time,” he said. “I tried to stop them, but my priority was to stop them from taking my own house.”

Callum, 30, had to pay someone £20 to tow the caravan away before it could be hoisted onto the back of a council lorry. There are now five caravans left on Parry’s Lane, which they once lined from one end to the other.

Bristol has recently become the UK’s car-traffic capital, with more people living on its pavements than anywhere else in the country. The number of council residential vehicles has increased from 100 in 2020 to 650 this year, housing around 800 people. Other hotspots include Brighton, Falmouth and Glastonbury.

The removals come amid growing tensions between some users of the 180-hectare Downs, which is bordered by Bristol’s most luxurious and expensive properties, and the growing number of residential vehicles. Conservation group Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge recently counted more than 60 residential vehicles parked on park roads, compared with six on a single road five years ago.

Some residents accuse motorists of using parts of the park as latrines and leaving unsightly trash there. Some complain that vans create no-go zones. But residents in those areas say they have little choice because they can’t afford to pay rising rents.

Rents have risen faster than anywhere else in the country, according to the Centre for Cities. Bristol is now the second most expensive city outside London, with the latest ONS figures showing average monthly rents have hit £1,734.

Many vans have just made a detour. Callum is now parked 100 metres from his original spot, next to a clump of bushes. “We’re being pushed around,” he said. “They’re treating us like we’re not real citizens.” [by the council] and they don’t have a duty to take care of us, while they do.

Callum’s caravan can be stiflingly hot in the summer and unbearably cold in the winter, even with the wood-burning stove he’s installed. Life on the road can also be dangerous, especially if you’re vulnerable. Callum has dark purple bruises around his eyes and says he’s struggling with unspecified issues. He’s desperate to move to somewhere more permanent, where he can get more support.

“I asked to be housed more than a year ago,” he said. “I asked to be placed in a suitable place where the municipality could actually take care of us.”

Friends of the Downs acknowledge that options are limited for road users. There are five council-run sites, each with a capacity of 60 vehicles, but all are currently full.

“We have a lot of sympathy for people who are forced into this itinerant lifestyle,” said Robert Westlake, the group’s president. “That said, we’ve always felt like this situation has gone on for too long and it’s been poorly managed.”

Westlake, who was responsible for Bristol’s parks before retiring, said the increasing number of people travelling in vehicles had led to some of the park’s tree stands being used as open-air toilets, leading to the cancellation of outdoor classes for children. He added that residents had complained about the build-up of rubbish and, on one occasion, the failure to sell a £500,000 flat.

Westlake, who also chairs the council’s advisory committee for the Downs, places the blame on the council: “A lot of the problems are due to a lack of services. People don’t have anywhere to go to the toilet. There’s no provision for clean water or rubbish removal.”

He said there have been a few altercations when residents complained to the occupants of the vehicles. “I have not personally seen any [instances]”People have called to say that when they asked them to leave or turn down the music, they ended up getting confrontational. But I think ‘intimidation’ is a bit strong.”

The city’s first survey of vehicle dwellers this year found that the main reason for living in a vehicle is the inability to find or afford another place to live — though others prefer a nomadic lifestyle or one that fits the itinerant work patterns of the festival circuit.

Hali Vita recently arrived on the Downs in her small camper van. She lives with her two children, who stay with her during the summer holidays. She wants a permanent home after years on the road. “It was OK when [the children] “They were smaller. But it’s just not feasible in one bed,” she said. “My freelance job doesn’t pay me enough at the moment.” [to rent in Bristol].”

The council’s survey suggests that one in ten vehicle occupants have children under the age of 18 living with them full or part time.

Vita often works 60 hours a week but says she doesn’t have enough money to rent a place big enough for everyone. “I feel helpless. I called the city hall but I’m not a priority,” she says.

“I have to live in this situation, but I’m done with it. The children need stability, a house and a garden. I can’t provide all that for them right now. It’s hard for me,” Vita said.

The survey also found that the vast majority of people living in vans are working, either full-time, part-time or self-employed.

Max Haskins had been living in his van on Parry’s Lane for over a year but moved to another location on the Downs before the council threatened legal action. He works as a carpenter, fencer and roofer but hopes to soon get into van conversions.

“I’ve worked all my life,” said Haskins, 32, but he prefers life on the road. “It’s the freedom. I’m on the road most of the time. I go to Cornwall and Wales. I can save money. I don’t have to chase paychecks.”

Bristol City Council said it has taken steps to encourage the van dwellers in Parry’s Lane to move out due to their increasing impact on the area. It is monitoring the situation and engaging with residents and those in the encampment.

“Since some members of the group have left and the abandoned vehicles have been removed, the impact of the group on the local area has returned to more acceptable levels which we hope will remain the case,” a council spokesperson said.