As the caravan park closes for the last time'Tree brides' hold a funeral at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Park site on August 11, 2025 - the day the caravan park closed to make way for a housing development. In 2021, 70 women 'married' individual trees in the park as part of a campaign against the redevelopment‘Tree brides’ hold a funeral at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Park site on August 11, 2025 – the day the caravan park closed to make way for a housing development. In 2021, 70 women ‘married’ individual trees in the park as part of a campaign against the redevelopment(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)

A group of campaigners held a mock funeral today (Monday) in front of Bristol’s harbourside caravan park, after it closed for the last time and the last holidaymakers left. The group are opposed to plans to build 166 new flats on the site at Baltic Wharf, and four years ago many of them were among 70 women who symbolically ‘married’ the trees on the caravan park site.

Bristol City Council has handed over the site to its housing developer arm Goram Homes, which plans to redevelop the land with blocks of flats. After a long saga to get planning permission and funding in place, work is now due to start this month on the new homes.

The caravan park, which opened in 1978, was run by the Caravan Club and was often fully-booked. Its closure was extended to accommodate tourists visiting the city for the Bristol Balloon Fiesta at the weekend, but now the gates have closed for the final time. The ‘tree bride’ campaigners said they want to create a memorial park and a disabled adults playground on the site, but Goram Homes said their plan was to build much-needed new homes and raise money for the city council’s housebuilding programme too.

Back in September 2021, around 70 women ceremonially ‘married’ the individual trees that cover the Baltic Wharf caravan park, and declared themselves ‘tree brides’. It took many years of wrangling – mainly over the risk of flooding on the site – before council planners awarded permission for the 166 home development.

READ MORE: More than 70 women marry dozens of trees to oppose Bristol building plansREAD MORE: End of an era as Bristol’s harbourside caravan club closes

Now, the gates are finally closed and the council-owned site handed over from the Caravan Club to Goram Homes, with work expected to get underway within a couple of weeks. The ‘Tree Brides’ group turned out on the last day to hold a ‘funeral’, dressing in mourning clothes and veils, in a last attempt to persuade the council not to ‘give away’ the land to developers.

They have started a petition to the council for what they describe as a ‘memorial park’ and disabled adults playground at the caravan club site, which lies next door to the Cottage Inn. “We propose that Baltic Wharf Memorial Park & Play Area offer a cafe, sensory garden, exhibition space and much-needed play area for disabled adults & carers,” a spokesperson for the group said.

'Tree brides' hold a funeral at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Park site on August 11, 2025 - the day the caravan park closed to make way for a housing development. In 2021, 70 women 'married' individual trees in the park as part of a campaign against the redevelopment‘Tree brides’ hold a funeral at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Park site on August 11, 2025 – the day the caravan park closed to make way for a housing development. In 2021, 70 women ‘married’ individual trees in the park as part of a campaign against the redevelopment(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)

“It will be dedicated to the victims of Bristol’s shameful slave trade, whose ships were built with wood from this timber yard—never an official brownfield site as wrongly claimed. With the planned intensive development of Spike Island, a park is essential for families, children, the elderly, and revenue-providing tourists.

“With its 100 mature trees, grassland and hedgerows, Baltic Wharf’s green space is the only possible place left,” she added.

“We call on elected councillors to retract this scandalous planning proposal and adopt instead a positive vision for the future—where people and not profit are the priority. Let’s unite against the predatory forces which threaten our historic Harbourside, and make our children proud of us,” she said.

Much of the anger around the Baltic Wharf development is now focussed on the question of whether 66 of the 166 new flats will be classed as ‘affordable’. Last year, Bristol City Council said it couldn’t afford to fund Goram Homes’ plans to do that, and last month Goram went back to City Hall to get approval to tweak the plans so that there would be no legal requirement for affordable homes to be included in the planning permission.

'Tree brides' hold a funeral at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Park site on August 11, 2025 - the day the caravan park closed to make way for a housing development. In 2021, 70 women 'married' individual trees in the park as part of a campaign against the redevelopment‘Tree brides’ hold a funeral at the Baltic Wharf Caravan Park site on August 11, 2025 – the day the caravan park closed to make way for a housing development. In 2021, 70 women ‘married’ individual trees in the park as part of a campaign against the redevelopment(Image: PAUL GILLIS / Reach PLC)

But, Goram’s managing director Stephen Baker, confirmed that 66 of the flats would be ‘affordable’, because Goram had obtained Government funding instead of relying on the council. “Goram Homes is Bristol City Council’s housebuilding company. We’re guided by the principle that everyone should have a safe, warm and affordable place to call home,” he said.

“Baltic Wharf will deliver 166 high-quality new homes to a central location, with 40% of them set aside as affordable housing, including 50 for social rent and 16 for shared ownership. These homes will be allocated through the council’s HomeChoice register to make sure they go to the people who need them most.

“We’re also proud that a significant share of any of the scheme’s profits will be returned to the council to support more investment in Bristol,” he added.

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