Van dwellers in Bristol say the battle for a place to live feels like the “soul of the city is being fought over”.
It comes after van dweller numbers hit a record high this month, according to activists from the Protect the Downs private Facebook group who surveyed the Downs on October 19.
The group claim there are currently 143 van dwellers settled on the Downs.
Bristol City Council policy on van dwellers is due to be reviewed by the committee for Homes and Housing on December 19, and is set to decide the fate of van dwellers throughout the city.
Councillor Barry Parsons said that the policy “offered support (for everyone) to fill in the consultation and now even more clear to us now that it is a subject that people feel very passionate about”.
The consultation also aims to “balance offering help to vehicle dwellers to better meet their health and housing needs”.
The policy heard from 3,000 people, including 250 van dwellers. The council commits to a “phased implementation of the policy and remains committed to increasing the number of well-built, affordable homes in Bristol”.
In August, the council pointed out that it wrote to the government asking for extension of powers to make it “easier to remove vehicles from council land”, asking for a “legal requirement for caravans to have a registration of ownership”.
At a meeting of Bristol Vehicle Dwellers and Travellers Association on Tuesday, Flora, the organiser, said that van dwelling “helps those who have different backgrounds, and those who struggle to afford rents, live happier lives, the freedom to control life, a community, and a space to manage their mental health”.
She emphasised that this means “living more autonomously”.
Danny, a van dweller said that he “has a job but is unable to afford rent” and “doesn’t stay in one space for too long”. He avoids The Downs and “knows Bristol well”.
Kate, a local resident in the area “has a big heart for homeless people and those who are vulnerable”, though mentioned the “criminal gangs that have been allowed to come to Bristol” and that “the council is not doing anything about it”.
On a bench, with his two dogs, Dermont, who himself lived in a van and now rents locally, remarked that many caravans are “owned by a few people”.
He continues, “there is no light on at night” and that he thinks “60% of the caravans have no number plates” and they get “moved around”. He was very critical of the council, saying that “they’re out for themselves”. Nevertheless, he held empathy for van dwellers, saying “they must be desperate”.
The local criticism comes amid a £40,000 legal challenge raised by the Protect the Downs group last Tuesday against the council.
Meanwhile, activists from the Vehicle Dweller Group criticised the Green Party, who are one councillor away from holding a majority at Bristol City Council.
“What does the Green Party believe in?” they questioned, adding that “Zack Polanski is talking about inequality, but what is the Green Party doing with marginalised groups in Bristol? Disappearing them?”