Van dwellers leave beauty spot after court order

Most van dwellers living at a city beauty spot have left the area after an eviction order was granted to a council.

Bristol City Council (BCC) said it decided to pursue enforcement action at Clifton Downs following "significant health and environmental issues" associated with people living in vehicles there.

A judge granted BCC a possession order on 16 April, which gave van dwellers until 7 May to leave roads in the area or face eviction. About 10 vans remained on roads around the green space after the deadline - down from more than 100 - with a few more on nearby roads.

Councillor Barry Parsons said he recognised some people lived in vans because of a lack of affordable options.

"Enforcement is not just about moving people around the city, it is about helping people move towards safer, more stable living arrangements, while also protecting the wellbeing of the wider community who use and live around the Downs," the chair of the council's housing committee added.

Tensions between vehicle dwellers and residents on the Downs have been rising over the past few years.

And in November, the council said its enforcement officers had found several sites on the Downs being used as organised toilet facilities, filled with human waste.

Parsons said the council would offer support first but take action when there was a negative impact on the local community.

BCC said its outreach team had been offering to help people make plans to move away from kerbside living since December.

A spokesperson said it had worked with almost 100 people so far, which had led to four people moving on to meanwhile sites, five in most need moving into emergency accommodation, four moving in with friends or family, one moving into renting and another accessing social housing.

Last year, the authority set a goal to deliver 250 pitches for people living in vehicles by April 2026, which it did not meet.

A new site opened in Lockleaze in April with 98 pitches and the council revised its goal to 160 spots by the summer.

The council's anti-social behaviour injunction prevents van dwellers from returning to the Downs until at least 5 May 2027 without permission. The court will review the injunction at a hearing in September.

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